Rebel 7 was back once again this year with one of the biggest contests in the underground scene – The Rebelution Contest! And this year, the contest was stronger than ever. Powered by India’s Finest Hip-Hop, supported by Urban Monkey & ToTheCulture, and sponsored by Varni – this year the Rebelution contest was the biggest it has been since its inception.

It is a great thing to see that a producer is taking active steps in uplifting the scene with the idea of a contest. These kinds of contests are few and far between in the Indian Hip-Hop soundscape. Emcees stood a chance to win prizes worth Rs. 1 Lakh and much more in this years contest! Emcee Rapture went through over 700 entries to be crowned as the winner of the whole contest!

The Rise Of Rapture

1) How Do you feel about winning the Rebelution 2019 contest out of over 700 entries this year?

Rapture: It feels awesome! Being a battle rapper, I’m drawn always to competitive endeavors. Though I was nervous because, there were so many other rappers who dropped really fire entries. The thing that caught my eye was the number of female rappers that participated. Sooooo many? I was like, yooo this is fire!  I’m so glad that this edition reached so far in the deep end. Much love for everyone who was involved.

2) Is it important that contests like these happen more frequently? Or do they need to happen on bigger scales?

Rapture:
I would prefer more of such contests should happen at least twice a year. This can become a platform for new artists to put themselves out there and gives them a boost in the terms of audience and reach. I’m not sure about such things happening on a bigger scale. Because for me, the less commercial it is, the more raw it is.

3) What are your current and future plans in terms of your music?

Rapture:
I’m almost done with my album “Lost”. I’ll take this opportunity to thank Manushka Monette for sponsoring it. There are two more EPs in the making. One solo and other one with a rapper who gave the scene a “question mark” that they’re still decoding.

4) What direction do you feel the Indian Hip-Hop scene is headed towards in the current scenario? Who are your favorite new artists right now?

Rapture:
IMO, the whole scene is a mess now. Rappers are in dilemma about their own visions and goals. With increasing number of brands and entertainment modules showing interest in rap, there has been a decrease in quality. I see the same 10 people in every ad. Same 10 people on every stage. The thing that scares me is, what will happen when the market will be bored of this 10 artists. I would always choose a steady growth over an overnight fame. Best example, Divine and Naezy. I don’t need to say no more. This leads to my answer for you second question, my favorite artists are the one who are staying true to the art.

EMF, Enkore, Gravity, Tienas, Encore from Seedhe Maut, and Daranti Group. There are some new guns y’all need to look out for. Yashraj Mehra (Bombay), Husxain (Bombay), Wazeer (Rajasthan), Inner Rhymes (Bangalore) and Lil Kabeer (Uttar Pradesh) to mention some. Besides rap, I’m also in love with Banat, Karan Kanchan, G-sus (Gandhar) and Simetri (Riya and Simran Duggal).

The Rebelution Continues

This year, with the teaming up of three heavily hip-hop invested names (India’s Finest Hip-Hop, ToTheCulture & Urban Monkey) – the contest was at the forefront. Young and budding emcees had rushed to drop a verse on this year’s beat and take a chance at the top spot.

The contest was judged this time around by 5 judges across India. Enkore, Trap Poju, EMF, Fotty Seven & Yungsta taking the seats on the judging panel.