Indian rapper Hanumankind has shot into the big league with Big Dawgs, his quirky pulsating track that is steadily climbing the global music charts. If you haven’t heard of him yet, here’s the lowdown before you tune in.
Who is Hanumankind?
Born in Kerala, Sooraj Cherukat aka Hanumankind spent his childhood in various parts of the world owing to his father’s job, which shaped his music sensibilities. After returning to India in 2021, Hanumankind left a corporate career to pursue his calling in music. He joined the hip hop label Def Jam India as a rapper and released his debut single Go To Sleep in January 2023. With his Big Dawgs track bursting onto music streaming sites and social media, Hanumankind — and his dress code of white vest and trousers — is here to stay.
Big Dawgs: An Instagram sensation
Released in July 2024 and penned and performed by Hanumankind, Big Dawgs quickly moved up the charts, surpassing tracks by Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. Accompanied by a high-on-thrills video, Big Dawgs is a catchy song that punches hard-hitting lyrics with a groovy beat. Hanumankind blends Indian cultural elements and hip hop, creating a sound that is both familiar and fresh.
Directed by Bijoy Shetty, the Big Dawgs video was shot at the Great Indian Maruty Circus in Ponnani, Kerala. It is a nod to the dying art form of ‘Maut ka kuan’ or Well of death, featuring a circular wooden structure (20-36 feet in diameter), where motorcyclists and drivers perform stunts on the vertical wall.
Global success of Big Dawgs
Big Dawgs has amassed over 110 million views on YouTube worldwide and 197 million streams on Spotify. The track made it to Spotify’s Global Top 50 and is currently at #21 on the list; it is at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s popularity on TikTok, with over 1.4 million Reels, has further amplified its reach. All of this has resulted into Hanumankind gaining Instagram followers by a staggering 699.4 per cent within a month of the song’s release. Some of his other tracks include The Last Dance (composed by Sushin Shyam, for Fahadh Faasil’s Aavesham), Damnson, Ayyayyo (composed in collaboration with Parimal Shais, MC Couper and Thirumali), No Hook and Go to Sleep.
Hanumankind’s upcoming projects
The 32-year-old rapper recently announced his big screen debut in the Malayalam film Rifle Club, also starring Dileesh Pothan, Vani Vishwanath and Anurag Kashyap. Directed by Ashiq Abu, the poster features Hanumankind as Bheera, a Bengaluru-based rapper with a gun in hand.
He is also set to achieve another significant milestone by headlining the annual music festival, Lollapalooza, in Mumbai from March 8-9 next year. He will perform at the festival alongside artists such as Shawn Mendes, Green Day, Louis Tomlinson and Zedd.
