“H-a-n-oo-m-a-n-k-i-nd?! Humankind?! Huh-newman-kind?!”, as foreign hip-hop YouTubers fumble to pronounce his name, Sooraj Cherukat aka Hanumankind has risen as the hip-hop world’s latest bombshell. If you have been constantly seeing a rap video inside a Maut ka Kuan appear in your Instagram feed, that’s because this banger has become a global sensation. The hip-hop community has gone berserk over this track.
Even before the mainstream media in India had started talking about it, the video had already spawned countless reaction videos by some of the world’s biggest hip-hop YouTubers. “From now on, he’s my cousin, Hanumankind Davis,” exclaimed No Life Shaq excitedly. Some are calling it the ‘Song of the Summer’ while some have proclaimed it to be ‘the Hardest song from India they have ever heard.’ Their flabbergasted reaction has opened up a can of 7 stages of dumbstruck-ness. Let’s unwrap it.
Stage 1: He is INDIAN!?!?!
Big Dawgs’ first line starts and every Youtuber is unanimously surprised by Suraj’s accent, “Hold’ up! This ain’t Indian, Woah!”. They point out his Southern accent which sounds so much like people from Texas and Memphis.
This actually owes to the fact that Suraj, though born in Kerala, was brought up in Texas, before coming back to Bengaluru for good. This upbringing may have contributed to his accent and musical influences.
Stage 2: Project Pat influence
When Humankind comes up with the “Big Steppaaaa” line, the flow reminds the connoisseurs of hip-hop about Project Pat. Project Pat is considered a rap maestro and growing up in Houston, Texas, Hanumankind might have been exposed to Pat, a legend of America’s southern hip-hop scene. Suraj pays homage to Pat with this verse and when Pat himself acknowledged and shared the track on Instagram, it was icing on the cake.
Stage 3: Maut ka Kuan
When the video opens inside Maut ka Kuan, all the Western Youtubers are flabbergasted to see those stunning visuals of bike riders and cars defying the laws of gravity. The Maut ka Kuan or Well of Death imagery is nothing new for us Indians unless you have never been to a circus or a local fair. But for the Youtubers abroad, it was beyond their wildest imagination. So naturally, they initially think that this is all CGI. However, when the BTS starts playing and Suraj himself is shown performing the stunt practically everyone is left with an open mouth.
Stage 4: The Lyrics (the bars)
The lyrics by HanumanKind himself are just immaculate poetry. Lines like “Burn my body, pour my ashes in a river y’all, that’s how we knowin’ that the flow about to carry on” and “Only thing that’s promised is that promises are broken show” show the profound nature and power of wordplay in hip-hop.
Stage 5: That beat is HARDDDD!
The highly energetic and ferocious music in this song, produced by Kalmi, complements perfectly to the lyrics of the song. While every Youtuber kept stomping their feet for most parts of the song, the real surprise came at the end when the beat slowed down and the song went to a trans-like state. Their reaction is FYYRREEE!
Stage 6: The video that is a cinematic genius
The music video which pays homage to the brave entertainers in the Well of Death was one of the key factors for its huge popularity. Described by some as “Madmax in a circus,” kudos to Bijoy Shetty for making a visual extravaganza which has become the flex of the desi rap scene. The masterful cinematography, crisp editing, dolly-ins and outs, and use of drone shots; technically, this music video is flawless, and visually it’s a treat.
Stage 7: Power of Representation
Not just with testosterone-charged stunts, the music video is enriched by the amount of people who were represented in this song. YouTubers were amazed by the audacious“aunty” who sat comfortably on top of the car while it went around the dome of death or when she revved her bike up the well and hardly blinked.
The lyrics “They ask me, How you get like this? How you live like this? Why you worried ’bout it ho? Get up off my dick.” may sound regressive at first. But lip-synced by women and probably someone from the LGBTQ+ community (we might be wrong) in the video, it seems like a statement of empowerment for the oppressed genders.
This piece of art by HanumanKind works so well because it’s a brilliant fusion of the best of both worlds. While the music, lyrics, and flow are heavily inspired by the West, the video has gone with the visuals of something that is so deeply rooted in the Indian culture. Take any piece of art that has attained huge popularity in the West, e.g. RRR and Squid games. They thrive because they tell local stories with craft of international standards.
