‘We are not here to make hit but meaningful songs’: Divine

Hip hop hero DIVINE recently released his single One Side, which is the first track off his EP that comes out this month. The rapper, whose real name is Vivian Fernandes, also has Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy to look forward to. Here, he talks to us about where the genre stands in the music industry and Bollywood, his projects, and more.

What’s your upcoming EP going to be like lyrically and musically?

It will be just me talking to my listeners and it will have flavours that Indian hip hop has not seen yet. It’s more quality than quantity work like it has always been my goal. There’s one track with Raja Kumari and other producers from America. The videos will have a different approach, too.

What do you think of hip hop in India?

The audiences are accepting rap as a genre and not just a filler in Bollywood. We have our own scene, lane, and crowd. We don’t need film songs or to have our video on television to be noticed. Earlier, we needed a solid network but today, the internet is so powerful that if you have good music, you can reach out to people. Everyone in the hip hop scene is pushing to make the scene bigger. I’m sure it will be in the next two to three years.

Who are the artistes hustling along with you?

The whole Dharavi hip hop scene is beautiful because they are telling stories. Khaasi Bloods from Shillong and Madurai Soldiers from South are unstoppable. Because we use regional languages and slang, it’s building circles, which has not been done before. Hip hop is coming from the people, for the people. We are not here to make hit but meaningful songs.

Tell us about working on Gully Boy?

It’s not different from what I do in real life. The music is what’s coming from the scene and that’s the most beautiful part about the film. There are no restrictions and we’ve been working on the music the way we want.  

How’s Bollywood working out for you so far?

It’s working out quite well. I had a song in Blackmail (Badla) with Amit Trivedi and Irrfan and before that with Nucleya and Anurag Kashyap in Mukkabaaz (Paintra). They are all people I have admired. I’ve been choosy because Bollywood is not a necessity for me, and I don’t want to overload people with my music. I have about 10 tracks coming out in the next one year.