From raps by POCO MTV Hustle 03 REPRESENT contestants getting viral on Instagram to announcing a bright future for India’s hip-hop scene, the season was prolific in its truest sense. UDAY, aka Uday Pandhi, emerged as the youngest rap prodigy of MTV Hustle 03 under the mentorship of rapper Dee MC, beating runner-up Bassick and other finalists, Mrunal Shankar, Kayden Sharma, Vijay Dada and 100RBH (who won the OG Hustler trophy). “I am super proud of UDAY, and I am extremely happy that my squad won! I feel he has been an inspiration all along for all of us. I have always believed in his humility, talent, determination, and passion. Full power to UDAY,” said Dee MC.
Squad Boss Dee MC
The 19-year-old emerged victorious at the rap battle reality TV show by Viacom 18 and MTV last month. From street to stage and now on OTT, hip-hop has seen an upsurge and younger talents have embraced the genre and have associated it with their immediate societal conditions. Defined by cool beats and meaningful lyrics, rap has become super popular and MTV Hustle 3.0 has emerged as a renowned platform for the community. This year the squad bosses included EPR, Ikka, Dee MC and Dino James and the season was judged by Badshah. “On this show, we’re not just weaving verses but crafting legacies. I am really happy to see UDAY win; he deserved this title. I am proud of each contestant who has graced this stage, and I wish them all the best in the future. I am extremely pleased to partner with MTV Hustle once again and look forward to a long-standing partnership with IPS like these that do full justice to talent discovery and honing of creative skills within the burgeoning hip-hop scene in India,” Badshah commented about judging the reality show.
Badshah
A chit-chat with UDAY:
Congratulations on your victory. Can you tell us a bit about your final performance?
I came up with two songs and it was basically about me talking about the world, but exploring oxymorons of the world. The song was actually an oxymoron itself: “Ye duniya dari hai nasamajh,” but it comes to me as I am also a part of the world. I was super happy with the feedback from the audience and the judges. King came and hugged me and they all liked the song.
Which of your performances on MTV Hustle 03 did you enjoy the most?
The collaboration round where I performed with Bassick was really fun. We were twisting our personalities and exchanging our styles, so we got super excited. It turned out super well, we enjoyed and others enjoyed it as well. When I came back home, my family praised that performance as well.
“This season showcased an immense talent and versatility of its own. All the contestants offered something special every week. I am so glad to be living and witnessing an era of revolution and evolution. There were multiple moments, which touched me as a squad boss and an artiste, like performances by Shen B, 100RBH, UDAY, Bob B Randhawa, and others. I can’t even explain how many takeaways we had during the show, inclusive of impactful melodies, insane lyricism, power-packed performances and whatnot! Hustle truly is a stage to perform and learn, all at the same time. Super proud to be a part of the season,” said Ikka
How was it being a part of Dee MC’s squad?
It was almost like staying with family. She never established an air that she was a mentor; she was friendly and exchanged creative ideas with us. She used to treat me like a wild card and was very impressed with the new ideas I came up with. So, more than suggestions I earned praise from her (giggles). It was a super fun experience with her!
Everyone was super sweet. I like EPR, I like Ikka bhai and I’m glad I didn’t have to choose.
Since how long did you want to be a part of this show and how did you prepare?
The kind of hip-hop that I do is full of lyricism and I came here to represent that school. However, there aren’t too many takers of lyricism in the country. The audience is less. So, I wanted to make it more consumable and reach out to a wider audience. I think I managed to do that on the show. I have started off and taken the step and now the way is to move forward. In our country, there aren’t too many conscious rap artistes, so we’ve brought it to the forefront. The show has made an immense contribution to the scene and widened the scope of listeners and audiences with the help of popular media.
I never expected to be a part of Hustle and when I got a call first, I was just 17. However, I became active in underground gigs in Delhi and lots of people suggested I take part in this show. I randomly sent my entry and got selected. This was totally unplanned. My motto is to “go with the flow” and bam I was on the Hustle stage. It was a superb experience.
What are your plans now?
I don’t think so hard, whatever has to happen will happen. But I have some collaborative projects in the pipeline, want to produce my own EP and definitely contribute a lot to the battle rap community of India.
Mrunal Shankar impressed with her cover of the classical song Albela sajan and it reigned on social media platforms the week she sang it on the Hustle stage. When we asked her about her experience and her future plans, she said: “I went out of my comfort zone and explored different textures of my voice. I’m planning to drop my EPs next and there’s a lot of takeaways from the show, each and everyone showcased inexplicable talent and it makes me proud to be a part of the community.”
“Reflecting upon the journey I embarked upon with my squad members on MTV Hustle 03 fills my heart with an exquisite sense of fulfilment. The privilege of personally guiding and nurturing talents like Gaush, Mrunal, Shady Mellow and Vish has been an absolute joy, enriching their odyssey on the grand stage. Among the myriad moments that painted the canvas of this season, a couple stands out as ethereal brushstrokes that evoked profound emotions within me. One such enchanting moment unfurled when Gaush, in the poignant crescendo of his melodious creation Dumb It Down, tenderly acknowledged my influence with a heartfelt shoutout. The sight of him pulling his crimson bandana while fervently chanting ‘bleed ink’, a phrase close to my heart, filled me with an indescribable sense of pride as their mentor,” said EPR.