Rolling Loud is making its debut in the coastal city of Mumbai, India on November 22nd (get tickets here). A festival like Rolling Loud India is a big deal in a country that has struggled to foster a music industry completely independent of Bollywood or its domestic counterparts. India has produced extraordinary talent over the years, but only a minuscule fraction of those creatives have been able to make a living solely from writing and performing songs. Whereas the digital era did wonders for exposure and reach, it took shape in conjunction with the global devaluation of music brought on by streaming.
Although artists from various genres have attempted to forge paths for themselves in the absence of a supportive ecosystem, hip-hop is the closest India has ever come to a self-sufficient “scene.” Sure, rap made sporadic appearances in various pockets of Desi culture for decades, but it wasn’t until the early 2010s that it reached the public on a massive scale.
Western titans such as Eminem, 50 Cent and Lil Wayne had already cultivated a fanbase for that sound the decade prior, prompting homegrown MCs to start catering to that market pull. Personalities like Badshah and Raftaar were able to access millions through their active involvement in the film business, and others like Divine, Prabh Deep, Naezy and Emiway Bantai built their followings largely by slinging bars. Many of these artists have also stayed true to the culture’s enduring tradition of challenging the status quo, pushing back against injustice, and calling attention to the misuse of power.
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The Rolling Loud lineup is stacked full of can’t-miss performances, and we’re here to guide you through it. The two-day event will feature a total of 33 local, international, and hybrid acts, all gathered in one place for the love of hip-hop and R&B. Here are 10 sets we recommend you check.
Divine
By no means the first Indian rapper, Divine is arguably the single most important MC to emerge from the country, elevating hip-hop to new heights and playing a key role in the culture’s brisk development in South Asia over the past decade. Building himself from the ground up through stories about impoverishment in Mumbai, his authenticity transformed the craft of bars and beats from a gimmick into a lifestyle.
As hip-hop began spreading from cities, towns, and slums past districts and states, Nas partnered with Universal Music Group and launched Mass Appeal India in 2019. Divine was unsurprisingly the first artist to sign with the label, and with that, hip-hop became a future worth investing in for the first time in India.
The gully rap icon will take the stage on the second night of Rolling Loud to perform songs from his upcoming studio album, Walking on Water.
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