Divine and the Gully Gang have taken over as the sound of the streets since 2014. His come up story is not only inspiring but is also a blueprint for many upcoming rappers. It is not false to say that Divine and Naezy added the much needed spark to revive the fire of hip hop in India. From their humble beginnings in Andheri and Kurla, both the artists have achieved something phenomenal. “Gully Boy” starring Ranveer Singh will paint this picture for the whole world.
But before that, lets get back to the historic moment when Divine along with Red Bull Music India successfully held a full packed hip hop festival for the people of Mumbai. It was a special day as a hip hop festival of that level by an Indian artist was only a dream back in the day. And like a dream come true it was!
Highlight of Gully Fest
Gully Fest as a whole was epic to the core but certain moments from the whole night made it all the more legendary. One such surprise was given by none other than actor Ranveer Singh. The on screen Gully Boy decided to pay ode to one of the inspirations behind the movie. Ranveer has been a huge fan of Divine’s music and thus him hopping on to perform ‘Mere Gully Mein’ was no surprise!
Divine’s energy during the whole set was unmatched with his band complimenting him to the next level. Brother and Gully Gang member JD hyped each and every track of Divine’s for the whole set. DJ Spin Doctor was also on the decks. From tracks like “Kaam 25”, “Roots” to the recently released track “Teesri Manzil”, the crowd knew all of Divine’s lyrics. It was surreal to watch them chant his songs word to word.
Another epic highlight was Ranveer’s impromptu stage dive creating a moshpit like scene between the crowd. His support and presence boosted the show’s overall energy level. “Gully Boy” releases on February 14th, 2019 and looks like Ranveer is going to be in form for a long time. Before that, here’s to many more of such hip hop festivals in the scene!
Gully Fest
Mumbai based DJs Major C and Proof kicked off the festival with their blasting sets, making the crowd jump and groove to classic hip hop music. DJ Proof also played the complete sets for many rappers who performed that night. The mood was set, now it was showtime!
Munky Rhymz members D’Evil and Enkore were the official hosts for the night. Both the emcees did a great job in pumping up the crowd for back to back performances. Gravity from Bombay Lokal kicked off the collective showcase. Joining him on stage were crewmates Shaikhspeare and A-Ban. Gravity performed tracks like “Mohre” and “Shwed” from his recent album “Prashnachinha”.
Next on stage was one of India’s finest artist, Dee MC along with rapper Trap PoJu on a guest verse. Dee captivated the audience with her old school flow, and in the end left everyone with goosebumps by performing an unreleased track from her upcoming album. Produced by Sunit Music, Dee MC’s album drops this year and is turning to be very promising already.
MC Altaf from Mumbai’s hip hop hub Dharavi represented his people to the fullest. The audience was more than thrilled to watch him perform as many of them were die hard fans. Altaf wooed the crowd with his piercing Hindi rhymes raising questions about the government system and the overall sorry state of our society. Some of his upcoming unreleased singles really struck a chord with people!
Closing the collective showcase was the powerhouse crew 7 Bantaiz from Dharavi. These young’uns are an inspiration for the people who have watched them grow faster and better every passing year. It was apt to end on an even higher end after Altaf’s energetic set. 7 Bantaiz rocked the crowd with their tracks such as “Achanak Bhayanak” and their latest release “Yedechali”.
D’Evil and Enkore not only hosted the show but also entertained the crowd to the fullest with their sets. Enkore provided the much needed breather in the whole vibe of the night with his set that sonically stood out compared to everyone else. While the rest of the emcees chose to spit Hindi bars after bars, Dee MC and Enkore were the only two to spit rhymes in English. Enkore also welcomed emcees Todfod and Sammohit to join him on stage for the last track.
D’Evil is easily an artist with utmost caliber and distinct style of rapping. His songs are like a painted poetry in Hindi language, which is enough to leave the audience’s imagination running wild. Tracks such as “Kadki” and “Chal Bhak” created lot of hype while the stoner anthem “Subeh Subeh Dube Dube” and hip hop anthem “Hip Hop Bajega”, both produced by HHB, were the highlight of the set.
Stellar performances by Bboy Flying Machine and Delhi Sultanate & Begum X awaited the audience next. Flying Machine who is a two time champion of Rebull’s BC One cypher is an idol for many aspiring break dancers. To see him in all his glory on such a big festival stage was surely a great moment for hip hop here. Delhi Sultanate and Begum X brought in the Reggae vibe for the audience before Divine smashed it with one hundred percent gully energy!
