Hip hop is huge on the world stage and Goans surely are not lagging behind when it comes to the quality of music presented by Goan youngsters. Their songs are played on repeat and some artists are even signed by Indian record labels. One connection they all have is that the music gave them confidence and when the beat dropped, they let their words do the talking. These Goan artists have all learnt how to write lyrics, produce music and even create their own videos until they got bigger and better.
Amit Naik, popularly known as ‘Waking
Grunt’ from Bicholim, has been rapping in Konkani since 2015 and his songs are
based on current topics, social themes and even tributes to noted Goan
personalities. His music is available on different platforms and he recently
uploaded eight tracks of his Konkani album, ‘Pravachan.’ “The hip hop community
in Goa has been growing over the years. Especially before the pandemic there
was a rise in the number of artists who released their music. Some artists
disappeared from the scene with just a few hits, but to survive in this
industry, you have to be consistent. They are many talented youngsters from
Vasco, Colva, Canacona and Panjim, which shows that there is a future to hip
hop in Goa,” says Waking Grunt, who is set to feature in a love song by Onasis
and Zinnia from Curchorem with his signature rap verses. The single will be out
by the end of the month.
When it comes to hip hop music in English,
Tsumyoki has certainly revolutionized the genre in Goa. One of the leading
artists, his music has evolved over the four years he has been in the industry
and he is also open to experimenting with different musical genres. His recent
hit, ‘Blue Pink’ with Bharg, produced by Gully Gang, received almost seven lakh
views on Youtube. “I do solo music and collaborations and it is encouraging to
see so many rappers coming out with Goan rap. Young kids are not scared to try
new music and I was hoping to come up with Goa Rap Cypher Part 2 but I need to
select really good professional rappers in English. In India, Hindi works with
the audience but English has a global reach,” says Tsumyoki.
Without fail, he gives credit to his mother, Gianna Mendes, for
encouraging his talent that has brought him so far. His album with 13 songs is
in the works with Gully Gang. “Once I have a flow of words in my mind, I note
it down on a voice recorder, add chords to it in the digital format on my
software, add drums and percussion, and then mixing and mastering is done at my
own studio, which I set up recently,” says Tsumyoki, to simplify the actual
creative process. His song with Kidd Mange, ‘Way Too Messy’ is really worth
listening to, to understand the hard work these boys put into their music.
Kidd Mange’s rapping speed in English is amazing and before you
can comprehend what he is saying, he is on to the next verse. But he is not
leaving anyone behind. As a part of Goa Trap Culture, formed by Tsumyoki,
Eltwoo, 2Jaym, Falgun and Kidd Mange, he recently announced a competition on
Instagram for singers, rappers and even beat producers. The response was
overwhelming and they will announce the winners soon. He began his career in
the music industry over two years ago and will be dropping his solo next month
on YouTube and Spotify. “In the last few years, I have seen a lot of growth as
singers and they are not doing covers but coming out with original music. There
are rappers who perform in different languages that shows that language should
not be a barrier,” says Kidd Mange, who has an EP with four tracks, in the
pipeline.
Bongisio from Merces started rapping in Konkani two years ago.
Coming from a family of musicians, he plays the drums, ukulele and guitar and
he works independently on his videos. His last single was ‘Sangta Te Aik.’ “I
rap in Konkani to represent my state and language so I can take Konkani to the
international level by infusing hip hop to my music. My music is about
motivating the youth to believe in themselves,” says Bongisio, who is musically
inclined because of his father, Antonio Azavedo, but his late mother, Bella,
taught him spirituality that forms his lyrics. He opened for Raja Kumari, an
Indo-American rapper, songwriter and singer on December 28, 2021 in Candolim
and also opened for an American hip hop crew, The Invisibles in April. ‘Soth
(Truth)’, his Extended Play (EP) of six songs will be coming soon and he hopes
to do an independent NFT drop for this EP. “We are going to promote the EP NFTS
in the Middle East mostly next month and are hoping to get a good response from
the Metaverse,” adds Bongisio.
Frazer Antao, known as ‘Murder Key’ is from Curtorim, and being
proud of his roots, he constantly uses the term South Side in all his songs.
Frazer began his career during the quarantine period. A multilingual singer, he
raps in English, Konkani and Hindi. Over the past one and a half years, he has
released eight songs on Spotify for audio listeners and on YouTube. “I started
getting a good response for my songs and that encouraged me to continue writing
and getting better at my music. Hindi gives me a wider audience in India and I
had five live shows in Goa and Mumbai. So far, I released eight songs including
‘Fulloi,’ ‘Takeover,’ and ‘Shawwty,” says Antao. Antao has over 1.60 lakhs
views for his song ‘Goa Meh Chill’ on YouTube. He has collaborated with rappers
like Dr Coke and Street Boss from Goa. He would soon will be seen with Pune’s
Pratik Last King and Nazz, who are keen on collaborating with him.
Sushant
Gad, who goes by his stage name ‘Dimaag’ was born in Bicholim but was brought
up in Mumbai till the age of 20, which makes him fluent in Hindi and
comfortable to express himself in that language. In the industry for three
years, he feels Hindi gives him a wider reach to Indians across the country and
abroad. “I now work with producer Rahul Khurana aka Smiliez from Delhi. I
consider Eminem the god of rap, and I am inspired by gangster rap artists like
Tupac, 50 Cent and The Notorious BIG, Dizaster, Twista and Maniac. I used to go
to the beach and freestyle and later moved to doing rap shows all over Goa. I
prefer working independently because I have the freedom of expression in my
songs. I have six tracks ready, all singles, and I will release them over a
period of time,” says Dimaag, whose last single was ‘Kaun Tha’