Whether it was Badshah’s songs in mainstream Dharma that got people talking about Indian hip-hop or Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, or both. But, the evolution of desi rap music has been the new big change in Indian music as a whole. And MTV’s Hustle with aspiring rappers as contestants, has been promoting desi hip-hop in all the right ways.
Recently, Srushti Tawde, a contestant on Hustle 2.0 left the internet impressed with ‘Chill Kinda Guy’, a rap on God and religion. Now, her song, Main Nahi Toh Kaun is giving us an entirely new idea and dynamic of the rap-culture. This specific song not only sounds good, but also smart.
From the very beginning, the lyrics not only rhyme but also sound clever. For instance, the start where the rapper disses herself – “Baaki sabko dekh aur isko dekh, ek diss karwa diya na career khatam.” Srushti then goes on and starts roasting contestants, which is actually a shout-out instead, showing off that she ‘can’ but wouldn’t diss. And even if you’re not a fan of desi hip-hop or rap music, you’d want to listen to this on loop.
Her format, lyrics and even the concept look like something so out of the box, and yet so subtle. Like the entire part where she suggests that maybe she isn’t a good writer, because apparently, she can’t do what ‘rappers’ are supposed to. But then she leaves us with a call back of the ‘viral raps’ written by her, Chill Kinda Guy being one of them. Certainly, this smart and actually amazing-sounding performance will leave you with an entirely different opinion on rap culture.
The entire vibe of ‘Main Nahi Toh Kaun’ is of the kind that will lift you up on bad days – with the quite literal ‘who else?’ attitude. And quite frankly, she’s got style.
You can watch the entire video here.
Lately, Srushti Tawde has been making more sense than most people, with her songs and I, for one, can’t wait to hear more.