Indian Hip-Hop Takes The Music Business By It’s Horns

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Indian Hip-Hop is disrupting the Music Business and enabling ground level socio-economic impact.

Hip-Hop has always taken an independent stand when it comes to the music business largely because Record Labels hesitate to take the first step and Hip-Hop artists are daring enough to stay true to their brand’s roots. Jay Z in the early 90’s was hustling his records door to door getting turned down by every major label. Instead of selling out or quitting he made a genius move to create his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records established in 1995, now a part of Roc Nation Entertainment reportedly worth over $810M.

India is going through a similar dynamic, where the Gully Boy fever has incited a Hip-Hop revolution of sorts and artists are forming their own platforms with the help of brands & partners. This article takes a look at popular Hip-Hop artists in India who’re carving their own name in the history books of Desi Hip-Hop.

Gully Gang Entertainment

gully gang, vivian divine

Vivian Divine is a rising star when it comes to the “started from the bottom” story in India. From rapping in a Mumbai Gully to repping for all of Mumbai, his story and Gully Gang brand has become the voice of the streets and a mainstream Bollywood story. From being signed to Sony Music India and OML to numerous brand endorsements like Budweiser & Redbull to name a few, Vivian recently announced the launch of Gully Gang Entertainment, a full service company to recruit, record & nurture up and coming talent.

Artisttaan

raga, artisttaan

Raga is a Delhi bred Hip-Hop artist who through his ups and downs emerged strong and recently signed a exclusive partnership deal with Sony Music India. The indie label has presented listeners with some of the most talented artists in the hip hop and R&B space with endorsements by superstars Raftaar, Badshah, Ikka, Imran Khan to name a few. Sony Music and Artisttaan will together create, curate and produce music with artists already signed on to the label and release music at regular intervals.

Khatarnaak Records

sun J, khatarnaak

Sun J is a rare breed of artists who was born Hip-Hop in Delhi and showcases all five elements of Hip-Hop in his life from a very young age. From extremely humble beginnings he made a name for himself and paved a way forward for the rest of his crew, the Khatarnaak Hip-Hop Collective. His first objective was to keep crew tight and in doing so signed a deal with DesiHipHop Inc to launch Khatarnaak Records in 2018. The crew is reportedly in talks with some global platforms and working on a TV series for 2019. We look forward to the Khatarnaak brand taking flight globally in 2019.

Kala Kurta Gang

sikander, kkg, kala kurta kang

Sikander Kahlon is a pioneering face of the Punjabi Rap scene from Chandigarh and leader of the Kala Kurta Gang. King Kahlon has been working on his craft for over a decade with his crew and sometime in late 2017 made strong associations with popular Bollywood label & production house, Manj Musik under Musik ONE Records. KKG has a well prized catalog of music that all the major labels are now eyeing so you can be sure that the beginnings of a global KKG brand takeover is just around the corner.

There are many other Hip-Hop crews across India putting in work and making a name for themselves. We urge each an every one of them to stay true to their roots, put their crew first and ensure a professional is by your side when looking over contracts.