Indian-American rapper and singer-songwriter Raja Kumari has signed to Mass Appeal India, the label announced on March 9. The Grammy-nominated rapper-singer-songwriter-dancer is the first female rapper to sign with the label.
Mass Appeal India launched in August 2019 as a partnership between legendary rapper Nas’ urban culture-focused entertainment company and Universal Music India, a division of Universal Music Group. Raja Kumari follows rapper and frequent collaborator DIVINE in the move to Mass Appeal India. It also seems to be a trend to go from Sony to Universal Music as both acts were previously signed to Sony Music; Kumari was with Epic Records (subsidiary of Sony) from 2015 to the end of 2019.
In an interview with Billboard, Kumari talked about her signing with Mass Appeal India.“The fact that Mass Appeal, a label that has so much impact and understanding of authenticity, have created Mass Appeal India proves they understand how important this region is, to the world and the future of music,” she said. “Their dedication to India has really inspired me to know that they’re going to be the ones who are going to help me go to the next level.”
Raja Kumari debuted in 2016 with “The Come Up” EP initially distributed by DesiHipHop Inc and later went upstream to Epic Records / SMEI. She has since released several singles, along with last year’s “Bloodline” EP on Epic Records, on which she worked with veteran producers Sean Garrett and Danja. She has also collaborated or co-written songs with Iggy Azalea, Fall Out Boy, Fifth Harmony and Gwen Stefani. Check out her latest work of art which released under Sony Music Entertainment India, “Bindis and Bangles”
Devraj Sanyal, MD & CEO of UMG, India & South Asia said, “Raja Kumari is one of the most unique artists I’ve ever met, not just because she’s a phenomenal rapper, singer and songwriter, but also a performer’s performer as well. I’m thrilled to welcome her to the Mass Appeal India family, as I truly believe in her vision, her music and her absolute lust for life.”
Her first release with Mass Appeal India will be the single “NRI”, which will be out on April 10. It will be followed by a new EP.