What an eventful year it has been for Desi hip-hop. We’ve seen so many events ranging from small parties to sold-out stadium level festivals all opening their doors to the culture. It truly is a blessed time to be a Hip-Hop enthusiast and artiste. All eyes are turning to the South Asian continent to establish a solid, stable and monetary Hip-Hop ecosystem. In India, that process has already started.
In just the past three to four years alone, we have witnessed many hip-hop legends grace us with their presence at festivals. We have also seen a culture exchange with artists looking at India as a potential retreat and vent too. It is surely a fast-paced and highly growing culture that is being set up with precision and determination.
Hip-Hop Neighbourhood
In our neighbouring countries too, hip-hop is flourishing really well. This year has seen many hip-hop acts from Pakistan step up and put their country on the map and on everyone’s radar. Noticeably, Daranti Group have been making headlines recently. We last covered them on their collaboration with Mumbai based hip-hop collective Bombay Lokal. Now, Daranti Group also steps up to shape the future of Pakistan Hip-Hop’s journey. They do this, by setting up an event called “Rhymistan” held in Lahore at the Inner City Art Centre.
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A Boost For Pak Hip-Hop
This event will mark Daranti Group debuting as event organizers. This time, bringing together various acts from the scene to turn the vibes all the way up. On 23rd of December, Daranti Group brings to you 7 different artists from around Pakistan coming to share the stage with each other for the first time ever. Artist line-up includes Ansab Khalid, Maaz The Machinegun, SAW, Hamza Ali, Iqbal, and Daranti Group themselves. We talked to Hassan Amin (of Daranti Group) and he gave us a gist of the event.
“Rhymistan was started as a collaboration between Pakistanis from different cities to promote the hip hop culture to a wider audience, and also to bring different MCs from the budding underground scene together – thus providing a platform from which artists can launch themselves. Rhymistan is being organised by me, holding it in my Inner City Art Centre in Lahore. The show features several prominent MCs from the local circuit such as Sunny Khan and Ansab Khalid, as well as newer acts like Iqbal and Daranti Group. Apart from rap performances, beatboxing and breakdancing segments will be there as well.”
The very fact that we are seeing the frequency of Hip-Hop events around the world and especially in the Asian continent go up speaks volumes for the months and years to come. We wish Daranti Group all the best for this event and the future events to come. Show up and support your local talents, it is about time!