S potify Rap91, held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, on December 11, saw a stellar line-up of hip-hop stars, b-boys and b-girls working and playing around with sick beats and verses. Spotify has played a key role in bringing these artistes closer to their fans globally and more recently, in India. Local playlists, such as Rap 91, showcase the best of Indian hip-hop, from the biggest names to the newest of sounds. Taking this one step further is Rap 91 Live, a first-ofits-kind celebration of the genre and its culture, featured artistes from across the country, specially curated producer showcases, and more.
The lineup featured artistes like Archiesman Kundu slapping hard groove heavy verses in both Bengali and Hindi, the very viral Srushti Tawade of MTV Hustle fame, who brought the house down with her verses of Main nahi toh kaun, and Meba Ofilia won the crowd over with her graceful sass and melody - mounting a shoutout to her band, Khasi Bloodz, sparking the evening open. It also featured producer showcases of SEZ & THE MVMNT, Karan Kanchan Type Beats, Parimal Shais featuring Dabzee, MC Couper, Hanumankind and Killa K. There were breaking showcases punctuation the performances, against graffiti displays.
The headline acts were Raja Kumari, KING and Emiway Bantai with the crowd going ballistic shouting out the verses and pumping their hands, as they took the stage with the clock striking the late hours of the day. Raja Kumari brought a delightful whiff of her Indian roots with her verses, along with powerful feminist messages. KING, caught the arena at its loudest with Tu aake dekhle and a range of his other singles with verses which came from the heart, getting the crowd to sing in unison. Emiway made sure the evening ended on a promised high, as he made sure he unleashed his groove with hits like Machayenge, and finished it off on a deliciously high-octane note.
Srushti Tawade was one of the higlights of the evening as the area burst out hearing the beats of Main nahi toh kaun drop. With her bubbly nonchalance and honest sass, Srushti has won fans across the country and the Jio World Convention Centre was no exception
The very charming and melodious, with a generous heap of pizzazz, Meba Ofilia was one of the opening acts of the show
Emiway Bantai, of Gully Boy fame, with extremely popular tracks like Asli hip hop and Pyaar hai, has topped numerous hip-hop charts around the country, and leading the Spotify RAP91 playlist was one of the headlining acts at the Jio World Convention Centre
Raja Kumari at RAP91 was all about energy, groove and sass. The American rapper, who won the BMI Pop Awards in 2016, has collaborated with numerous artistes like Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea, Fifth Harmony et al. With tracks like City Slums, she brought a whiff of the desi groove to the arena
Parimal Shais ft. Dabzee, MC Couper, Hanumankind and Killa K capture a moment with the pumped crowd
D’Evil aka Dhaval Parab
Pictures: Spotify