12 May,2026 09:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Saanvi Bhosale
MC Aatank spits verses at the cypher
This is where Divine used to live; this is where he filmed Mere Gully Mein," Kuldeep C aka Deep points out as we move past the slums of JB Nagar in Andheri East. Divine, Emiway Bantai, Vijay DK - these are names you will hear at Vile Parle's Dubhashi Ground every Saturday evening as rappers from all over the city gather to cypher. A hotbed for impromptu beats and bars, cyphers are an integral part of rap culture all over the world.
Deep films the cypher. PICS/SHADAB KHAN
Deep, who organises and documents these gatherings on social media (@vileparlescene), walks us through the account's early days, "I have been running this page since 2025. Most of my friends are rappers. I began by mentioning them in stories; eventually word got around." The account - now averages thousands of views and has become a real-time archival of the hip-hop dreams that Mumbai's slums foster.
Gautam Khakhodia (MC Aatank)
As Deep gives us the lay of the land, we prod him into picking who we should begin chatting with. With a cheeky smile, he points toward Gautam Khakhodia (MC Aatank), who was already walking towards us with a swagger in his step. "I am the first rapper from Kamathipura. I started writing rap when few people knew about hip-hop. I grew up around crime, and so decided to change my life by entering the public eye," he reveals.
Kuldeep C and Pranjal Ingle
"Music is in my blood. While at school my friends would make beats on the bench, and I would rap along," the 25-year-old rapper recalls. For Aatank, brotherhood is marked by a shared love of the game, "Anyone who is attached to hip-hop is my brother!" There is a glimmer in his eyes as he speaks about those who came before him: "7 Bantai'Z, Emiway Bantai, Divine bhai - today they're rocking the mainstream; tomorrow I believe I will!"
We notice many rappers gather around Deep as he films content for the week. Among them are two visibly younger members. Karan A (Lil Karan) and Arnav M (Lil Sayko) are shy at first but open up about their journeys with a little encouragement, "I've been doing this since 2022. I hail from a poor background, so I rap to support my family," 16-year-old Lil Karan shares. 14-year-old Lil Sayko echoes a similar sentiment, "I started hip-hop for my family, and I will do it till the end. I consider Vijay DK to be my guru." "I have three brothers, and they inspire me to do something big in life, so I entered the hip-hop scene," he adds, while revealing that his first song will release on May 20, although he is yet to decide on a title.
Later that evening, Pranjal Ingle shows up. Also known as Pannu Peace, she is the lone female rapper who presented at the cypher that day. Her entry is unmissable, with her striking blue hair. She tells us it was red before but she had to colour over it because her family disapproved. Anyone who knows her will vouch for the fact that she isn't one to let anybody tell her what to do, "At first, my family forbade me from rapping because I'm a girl; they would call it cringe. But one day, I sneaked out to a cypher and people noticed me. People in my area would sing praises about my rap to my mother who started feeling proud of me." She began her rap journey four years ago, "My elder brother would listen to rap; music by 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. He inspired me. I thought it [rap] was really cool. It's been four years since he passed."
"Arey apun kuchh karte na yaar apne public ke liyeâ¦Haa apne pasha log ke liye," these lines open Divine's breakout track Mere Gully Mein. As Deep explains his unwillingness to monetise the account, he echoes those lines like a shibboleth, "I don't do it for the money; I do it for the people."
Log on to: @vileparlescene
