Young hip-hop artistes from Dharavi are set to perform at a concert featuring beat boxers and rappers
Vignesh BBX and MC Josh
Back in 2016, 16-year-old student Joshua Joseph from Dharavi found a few people singing verses that ended in rhymes on his way back home. Without much knowledge, Joseph joined them. It took him a few moments to get in sync, and soon, he was making rhyming sentences by himself to go along with the beats. He had no clue that what he was doing back then was called freestyling. “I didn’t even know I was rapping!” Joseph laughs. The now 24-year-old, who goes by the name MC Josh, has over 24 released tracks and will soon release his next EP called Boys Do Cry.
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Several such stories will come together at an evening dedicated to hip-hop at a concert called Underground Revolution at a suburban venue. Here, young talents from hip-hop school The Dharavi Dream Project (TDDP) will showcase raps or beat-boxing. “I will be performing three of my unreleased songs [from the EP Boys Do Cry], along with one released one, Anxiety,” MC Josh shares.
The rapper, whose journey started with an impromptu song he wrote on the streets, has been a part of TDDP for the past eight years and has been rapping ever since. “After my friends heard me perform that day, they asked me to write my song down and sing it for them. I did and that’s when they told me that what I was doing was called rapping. They showed me a few videos and I was most affected by the songs of Nazz. I was so shocked. I asked my friends, ‘Aisa sab gaana allowed hai?’” He recalls over a phone call with this writer.
TDDP students at Lollapalooza in January. Pic Courtesy/Instagram
Josh joined TDDP to train in the genre of music. He soon learned that his style of rapping is a departure from the masaledar [spicy] diss tracks, and is more focussed on social change and human emotions. Hence the title, Boys Do Cry: “I learned it the hard way during the pandemic that men crying is frowned upon. It was a time filled with anxiety, and families were also suddenly roped in together for months. Disagreements were natural — but for me to cry over them, especially during such uncertain times, was not. The only resort then, for men to express their emotions, is through anger. My EP aims to normalise men being vulnerable.”
TDDP founder, Dolly Rateshwar believes that hip-hop is one of those art forms that gives you the power to speak truth. “It is a direct form of expression that doesn’t shy away from taking up topics that are personal, political or social.” She adds that this is their first event with Harkat Studios.
Another performer, 18-year-old Vignesh Pandikonda AKA Vignesh BBX, will take to the stage alongside 17-year-old Chandan Vaishya, to close the evening with beat-boxing. “I would beat-box as a child but I had no clue that the sounds I made from my mouth were called beat-boxing, or that it could even be pursued professionally. For some years, I stopped beat-boxing and was completely focused on my studies.
However, my friends brought me back to it,” Pandikonda shared, “I just wrapped up my 12th Board examinations a few days ago. So, we didn’t get time to decide what we will perform yet. But it is definitely going to be a khatarnaak [dangerous] performance with a mix of masti and some serious beat-boxing.” Other performers include AWALE, Gloria, Shreyas and Shiva G.
On: March 23; 7.30 pm onwards
At: Harkat Studios, bungalow no 17, Aram Nagar Part 2, Machlimar, Versova, Andheri West.
Log on to: insider.in
Entry: Rs 300
Other gigs to catch this weekend
>> Words that soothe
This poetry open mic will bring literature and music together.
On March 21; 6 pm onwards
At Rasa – The Stage, Goregaon West.
Log on to @kommunemumbai
>> One chord at a time
An improvisational gig will present composer Ranjit Barot in performance with multi-instrumentalist
Nastya Saraswati.
On Today; 7 pm onwards
At Bonobo, Bandra West.
Call 9619930030 (for reservations)
>> Bring out the bansuri
This musical show follows the life and times of Shri Krishna.
On March 24; 8.30 pm onward
At Vishnudas Bhave Natyagruha, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. log on to in.bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 500 onwards
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