Of music and monikers: Mumbai's underground hip hop artistes tell their story

What's in a name, you might ask? A lot, say hip-hop artistes, for whom their name is their identity. Do you remember Eminem or Marshall Mathers? And who would you rather hear, Hirdesh Singh or Yo Yo Honey Singh?

The name is what defines an artiste, says Abhishek Dhusia aka ACE, a popular name in India's underground hip-hop scene. "I began 10 years ago when there were a handful of hip-hop artistes in India. When I formed Mumbai's Finest, the city's first rap crew, I realised that as one of the pioneers of hip-hop in India, I needed a name that stood out. I chose ACE because I believe this is the best thing I do," says ACE, who is inspired by Eminem's music.

Abhishek Dhusia, ACE's alter-ego, works for a computer firm. "I need to earn for my family. I refuse to go mainstream because then recording companies will dictate my music. That isn't me, even though there isn't much money in being part of an underground movement," he says.

ACE isn't the only one who believes going mainstream will hamper his career. Members of Swadeshi, a local hip-hop group that believes in the Swadeshi movement, say their lyrics have a lot of heart, and that working with a recording studio would cloud what they believe in. "We spend time doing work for NGOs and organising events," says Akhislesh, who goes by the stage name MC Mawali.

When we call him Akhislesh, he requests that we address him by his stage name. "It's who I am," he laughs. "I used to write verse in school, without having any idea about hip-hop. One time, a friend had VH1 on and we heard a few songs and my friends exclaimed that the beats were similar to the way I sang."

Akhislesh adds that the name 'Mawali' was coined by his mother, who disapproved of his attire and his habit of returning home late. "When I joined Swadeshi, I was asked to get a name for myself and the first name that came to my mind was Mawali."

Dharmesh Parmar, Mawali's band mate, goes by the name Todfod. The name, he says, was inspired by the term he would use for anything that was excellent. "I would say 'ekdum todfod' and the name stuck on," says Parmar, who does a lot of Gujarati hip-hop and was inspired to write a song supporting the beef ban.

Unlike ACE, Swadeshi is greatly influenced by social activist Rajiv Dixit and his Swadeshi movement. "We believe that while the British might have left India, we are still in awe of them," says Parmar, while defending his dressing style — loose jeans and a football jersey — stating that it helps him move better.

On celluloid
101India, a Mumbai-based firm that focuses on issues affecting young Indians, recently came up with a series of videos profiling the artistes. Each short film, under the title Hip Hop Homeland, follows the individuals and gets an in-depth view of their lives. "The hip-hop artistes profiled in the video series aren't just rappers. They are also b-boys, BMX bikers, break dancers and graffiti artists," explains 101India founder Cyrus Oshidar.

The idea, says Oshidar, is to get people to know of these artistes and understand the issues they face. "While they may be influenced by the hip-hop culture, they speak of local issues, which don't involve chaar-bottle vodka," says Oshidar. "Their anger and angst makes them relatable."

Oshidar says the idea is to eventually get underground artistes from across the country under one platform. "We're looking at Punjab and Tamil Nadu, but that's still in the nascent stage," he signs off.