December 13, 2023
The Community Library in Mehrauli is decorated with marigold flowers and yellow banners today. Children assemble, animated for the festivities planned. Amidst the commotion on the street, a rap duo Vastav Ek 7, comprising rappers Sahil and Sumit are waiting to come on stage and play their latest release for their excited audience. Sahil quickly murmurs a few lines from the song while Sumit refuses to make eye contact with him but nods along.
One of the librarians calls upon the performers. Sumit gestures towards the speaker blasting their rap beat, and the show begins:
바카라Shuruaat hai, Shuruaat hai. Tera bhai likhke dega ek din itihaas hai
Shuruaat hai, Shuruaat hai. Dilli wale ladke saare hi toh khaas hai바카라
Talent Incubator
Khirkee Extension is an urban village located close to Malviya Nagar in Delhi. The area바카라s lower rents have attracted a diverse population ranging from Bihari migrants, African nationals to Afghan refugees. And, with them, this blend of people has made Khirkee a melting pot and incubator of artistic talent from underground rappers to large-scale mural artists. The place belongs to immigrants looking opportunities for survival, work and community.
Malini Kochupillai, an urban researcher and the co-founder of Khirkee Voice, a quarterly local newspaper, notes, 바카라Khirkee is a place of flux and it is constantly changing.바카라 She started visiting Khoj Studios, an arts organisation, in 2010. Malini has witnessed many young artists come to the place at the time. This, she believes, is another feature that makes Khirkee special.
Rap and hip hop have been an underground culture of Khirki for two decades. 바카라Rap is something that I believe young people in Khirki use as an outlet for their thoughts and for their struggles,바카라 she says. However, many rappers do not find sustenance in the craft. Nearly all rappers in Khirkee have day jobs and they do gigs on the side.
Who Can Rap?
Sumit and Sahil are both migrants from Uttar Pradesh. Sahil was only 12-years-old when he discovered 바카라Swag Mera Desi바카라 by Raftaar and realising that he too wanted to write and produce such songs. Now, he talks only in rhymes.
But, for him, getting on stage alone was scary. 바카라I did not have the courage to go and rap, I needed a partner,바카라 he reflected. Little did he know that through his practice sessions he motivated a friend to rap. Soon, Sahil and Sumit made their debut with 바카라Shuruaat바카라. With a Dilli Spirit, the group says they 바카라want to talk about reality, that바카라s why we named our group reality,바카라 Sahil explains.
Belonging to a Dalit family from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, Sahil works as a part-time librarian at the Community Library Project while also studying for a Bachelor바카라s in Hindi Journalism at the Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar College, Delhi University. He is the first college-goer in his family and earns Rs 16,000 per month, more than half of which he sends to his family.
When he decided to write rap on the side, many around him questioned his abilities: 바카라have you ever seen a rapper from your caste?
He responds with music:
바카라Hiphop ka mai haath pakda 12 ki umar, chal diya mai toh rapper banne ke safar mein
Rasta hai lamba abhi bohot aage jaana hai, Maa ko kiya vaada pura karke dikhaana hai
Maa ne mujhko kiya hamesha se support, kyuki baaki logo ke soch mein tha khot바카라
Ethos of Rap in Library
The library helped both young men articulate their anger. As an intern at the TCLP바카라s South Extension, Sumit juggles between work and a Political Science Honour바카라s degree from Satyawati College. But he does not mind spending more time at the library.
Born out of an anti-caste people바카라s initiative, the library aims to make books accessible for all. Vaastav Ek 7바카라s favourite shelf is at the left corner of the Khirkee branch바카라s room, 바카라Haq ki Baat바카라, loaded with literature on social justice, gender equality, and secularism and anti-caste movements.
Mridula Koshy, Community Organiser with TCLP, believes that 바카라rap is a natural fit바카라 for the ethos of the library. 바카라When you open a door very wide like our library does, many come out of here becoming college students. Many, many people come out of here becoming artists,바카라 she remarks. However, an initiative like this is not built alone. 바카라Shivek, Shivam, Sahil probably put at least as much energy into building it as I did,바카라 she added.
It was through the library that Sahil met yet another rap group of Khirkee, 바카라10Takk바카라 (pronounced DasTak) formed by Shivam and Shivek in 2020. The duo started rapping together in empty classrooms during free periods as 10th-grade students at Malviya Nagar바카라s government school. Shivek recollects listening to 바카라Farak바카라 by Divine and feeling drawn towards the side of rap which is not written simply through a commercial angle.
In a Zero Time Zone
Shivek바카라s mother, a migrant from Bihar, is employed as a domestic worker in Malviya Nagar and his father is a driver. 바카라Prarambh바카라, 10Tak바카라s first single was recorded on Shivek바카라s father바카라s old phone. Inspired by Delhi바카라s artists such as Seedhe Maut, a hip-hop duo represented by the independent label Azadi Recods, he has always had a clear vision of what his rap would be about. His one lament: between working part-time at TCLP and studying for Hindi Honour바카라s at the College of Vocational Studies, he does not find enough time to practice with Shivam.
바카라Dad tells me to learn coding. Mother asks me to prioritize education,바카라 says his partner, Shivam, with a sigh. Shivam moved with his parents from Samastipur, Bihar and lives on rent in the Extension. He also works part-time at the library and while completing his B.Tech at the Greater Noida Institute of Technology. Since the college commute takes up over an hour, he writes lyrics while standing in the metro.
A fan of Jaun Eliya and the Pakistani hip-hop duet of Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus, called 바카라Young Stunners바카라, he listens to their lyrics on loop to find inspiration for his writing. 바카라Jaun Eliya바카라s lines are extensively used by Talha Anjum. I have also begun reading his work,바카라 he says. But no one can beat Premchand, he believes.
Many sleepless nights lead to one solid set of lyrics. Shivek sings in Dastak바카라s 바카라Daur바카라바카라
바카라Nek kaam, nek parinaam,
Puri raat jaagu likhu rap bass ye kaam바카라
Sahil, as a fellow rapper, resonates with the struggle of looking for time where there is none. He rhymes his thoughts, while chatting, without missing a beat:
바카라Raato ko jaagkar likha tha pehla geet,
Kyuki dil aur dimaag mein bhara tha sangeet,
Sangeet hai asha, sangeet hi hai pyaar.바카라
A Selective Space
Despite similar intentions and experiences, the two rap groups, Dastak and Vaastav seldom jam together because there are few places left in Khirkee to record. Unable to record high-quality music at home, the groups are perennially in search of studios. Khoj Studios used to be a haven for artists but Sahil from Vaastav Ek7 informs that they have recently begun charging.
Earlier, public spaces like parks were available to artists. Aastha Chauhan, an artist who previously worked in community engagement with Khoj Studios in 2004, says, 바카라Public places, like the Khirki Mall which came up opposite, used to be the playground for these kids. And then suddenly it was gated and they couldn바카라t perform over there.바카라
They also find themselves overlooked in the rap battles organized by affluent groups like Rap Club of Delhi (RCD). Shivek does not enjoy participating in RCD바카라s cyphers바카라 gathering of rappers who freestyle lyrics; he feels they are unfair. 바카라The same people are lent a chance. We don바카라t have as many contacts,바카라 he notes.
바카라Contacts바카라 by another name is privilege. It is one way in which the ostensibly independent Indian music scene gatekeeps artists from marginalized communities. Only a handful of the artists, such as Divine, or Mumbai-based rapper Emiway Bantai, who grew up on the streets, found success and a way to collaborate have found success. 바카라It바카라s about social capital...it바카라s about caste capital. It바카라s about who you know," says Ojas Shetty, an anthropologist and hip-hop artist manager.
Rappers from marginalised communities find it바카라s not just their entry that바카라s restricted, but also their freedom of expression. Shivek was deeply affected by the demolitions in Delhi in September ahead of the G-20 event. But, when uploaded a rap about it on YouTube through the 10Tak account, the video was taken down for 바카라showing violence.바카라
The song, titled 바카라Fuck G20바카라 is pinned to his personal Instagram account:
바카라Fuck government.
Mere sheher ka haal banaya hai kya?
Raasto se chheena gareeb ka ghar
Aur dar ka mahaul banaya hai kya?바카라
The Otherised
The birth of rap in New York city바카라s Bronx area in the 1970s is synonymous with the area바카라s black populous, who needed a way to express their frustration with institutional racism they experienced daily. But, as Ojas points out the story is one of upper-caste privilege. 바카라Is it rappers like Yashraj and Badshah who are determining India바카라s sound?바카라
Khirkee바카라s rap culture was also born out of oppression. But when in 2014, Aam Aadmi Party MLA, Somnath Bharti raided African households in Khirkee, accusing them of running a prostitution and drug racket, there was an exodus. Nearly 90 per cent of the African residents moved out of the neighbourhood as a result. The African artists and rappers who were integral to the community are now missing from the scene.
Only a few stayed. Patrick Kelende from Congo continues to live in Khirkee and make music with Romeo for their 2016 band, 4 Af Music. While Romeo moved out to Faridabad, Patrick chose to stay back as Khirkee houses UNHCR바카라s BOSCO Refugee Assistance Programme바카라s office. His wife is handicapped and needs physiotherapy.
A Congolese refugee, Patrick fled in 2012. Though he is a trained electronic engineer, there are scant opportunities in Congo. He sings in Hindi, English and Lingala, but relishes playing traditional African music.
Patrick바카라s bandmate Romeo, is also a Congolese native. He left Khirkee five years ago but could not stop singing바카라 it바카라s an outlet for his expression. 바카라I like to bring my colour to my music,바카라 he says. In Khirkee, Romeo says people made racist assumptions. 바카라They think all of us are drug sellers.바카라
Patrick has had to face the same hurdles. No landlord was willing to rent him a place at first. Finding a job as an African was like passing a loose thread through a needle, he says. By working several jobs at once 바카라 a barber for African migrants, a translator for African natives, through his gigs 바카라 he managed to earn around Rs 6000 per month.
His songs speak to his experience in India. 바카라We are refugees, we have refugee documents. We need peace,바카라 he states. A fan of Papa Wemba, the Congolese singer, he loves experimenting. One of the Congolese songs that Romeo and he wrote, 바카라Everything is Going Fine바카라, talks about the act of loving in times of distress (translated)바카라
바카라I want to know, I want to see if you love me.
You can바카라t see love, you can feel it.바카라
Good Ol바카라 Days
At one time, Khirkee was alive with the sound of intensive hip-hop practices, freestyle raps, and a diverse group of artists. Aastha Chauhan notes, 바카라Post 9/11, a lot of non-elite Indians had to leave the country and with that wave came kids who identified with a certain language of poetry and feeling invisible in a big city. He Ra was one such kid.바카라
In 2004, post the 9/11 attacks in the States, Netrapal Singh, aka He Ra, returned to India and started hip hop classes, first in Dharavi, then in Khirkee Extension.
In 2010, he established the Tiny Drops hip-hop community centre in collaboration with the Khoj International Artists바카라 Association. Soon, groups like SlumGods, comprising thirty-odd performers, emerged. Later, a smaller group from SlumGods바카라 MC Freezak, MC Hari and MC Akshay Tashan바카라 formed the Extension바카라s rap trio, 바카라Khirkee-17바카라.
Now, Freezak and Akshay are left alone in Khirkee, desperately looking to fend for themselves. Mahesh Kumar Jha, or Freezak as he바카라s known, was born in Panipat, Haryana, and moved to Delhi with his parents when he was five-years-old. His parents had an inter-caste marriage, but are separated. His mother works as a security guard in Malviya Nagar.
A 12th standard dropout, Jha joined Khoj and started learning hip hop there with He Ra. His co-rappers also hailed from working-class migrant backgrounds, and had to leave the scene under pressure of familial responsibilities- 바카라They lived on rent, had sisters to marry off and needed to earn a living,바카라 he says.
Jha/ Freezak relies on his mother바카라s income and has been attempting to produce music independently since 2020. He recently performed in a local gig in Delhi바카라s Max Mueller Bhavan. The group did not succeed as He Ra left them in the middle while they were struggling financially, he says.
Akshay, his previous hip-hop partner, lost motivation. In the daytime, he scours venues for event management gigs; at night he rides horses for weddings. MC Tashan started rapping after he was inspired by 바카라Desi Beam바카라. His mother is employed as a domestic worker, and his father as a welder. 바카라Our group바카라s name was in the talks. But we did not receive any personal benefit. SlumGods Mumbai snatched away all the credit,바카라 he complained. Khirkee-17 started underground, and remained underground.
바카라I keep thinking why I started,바카라 says Jha/ Freezak. As a fresh face in hip-hop, he used to write about socio-political issues. He rapped about the Nirbhaya rape case. The group, Khirkee-17바카라s first release was called 바카라Politician ki Manmani바카라 which addressed problems of partisan politics. Gradually, Freezak shifted to writing about his personal life.
Ojas notes this is a systemic issue: 바카라A lot of them have moved away from it [protest rap] simply because commercial projects don바카라t want to just do this바카라 they want party rap that a lot of young people will want to listen to.바카라
Freezak stands right in front of the Malviya Nagar metro station and spits his rhymes:
바카라Hip hop ko bachaana tha, Hip hop ko bachaunga
Isko chhodkar mai kahi nahi jaaunga,
Na kisi ka khaaya hai, na kabhi khaaunga
Mai toh bass gaunga바카라
Lingering Hope
Rabani, a researcher who is working on Khirkee Extension바카라s art spaces and artists, says that Khirkee 바카라is not a hub of hip-hop anymore.바카라 It held a bigger presence of hip-hop artists a few years ago, some of which was also attributed to the support of the area바카라s arts organisations.
Hip hop in Khirkee started as a cultural practice rather than a solid career path, states Bhanuj Kappal, a music journalist based in Mumbai. 바카라It came from pride in the street in knowing that the upper-class people around you keep telling you that you don바카라t have work beyond manual labour. But you do.바카라
He notes that generally, the Indian music industry 바카라has never been very open to working-class musicians.바카라 Those living away from serious mentorship, Mumbai바카라s booming music industry, and its media attention barely scrape through. 바카라Making it big is particularly difficult for marginalised groups, such as women and queer people,바카라 notes Bhanuj.
Jeevika, aka, Kinari is Khirkee바카라s only transwoman rapper. In 2016, Kinari, who is from Tamil Nadu and moved around the country due to her father's transferable job, went to Reed College for a Bachelor바카라s in philosophy in 2016. However, she returned in 2021 when her visa expired.
In America, she faced transphobia and exploitation. Her employer at an Indian restaurant did not pay her salary for a month바카라s work. This isolating experience led her to the Ballroom culture and the beats of Black women artists like Rico Nasty and Cardi B. 바카라I liked rap since childhood. But I stopped because it was a man바카라s world,바카라 says Kinari. Now, she creates her own tunes. Her new album 바카라Kattar Kinnar바카라 was released on April 7, 2024.
Her father works in a government bank, but distanced himself when Jeevika decided to transition. 바카라I am who I am. I have left my family and I am living how I want to now. I am doing this music stuff which gives me immense joy,바카라 she says. When she came to India, she decided to come to Delhi, and specifically Khirkee, because of its thriving transgender neighbourhoods. 바카라I am not the only Kinnar (transgender) here,바카라 she reflects.
Kinari earns through Hindi tuitions and sex work. 바카라I get one night in weeks to write. But when I sit to write, it just flows,바카라 she says.
Her voice stands out:
바카라Wave from the stage, Now he바카라s acting like he knows me
Bande rappers saare mid, toh mai jaati zyada show nahi.
I can바카라t be the hit chilling with a fucking flop,
Unko chahiye mujhse verse, Someone tell them I바카라m a top바카라
Despite the endless lane of roadblocks, she keeps optimism close: 바카라I am strengthening my voice.바카라 Through her open-minded music, which does not shy away from expressing sexuality, trauma, and personal growth, she hopes to empower more women and people from marginalised communities to enter the rap scene.
Navya Asopa is an aspiring journalist and an incoming journalism student at Columbia University
