In their new video, a crew of six teens from Dharavi rap in Marathi about the power and positive influence of music in their lives
The six met when they were 14
Scenario 1: You got goosebumps, nodded with tears in your eyes and came out of the hall thinking "Apna Time Aayega". Scenario 2: Your first exposure to Indian rap made you a fan of the genre.
Classmates and neighbors
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Either way, Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy put rap from the streets of Dharavi on the map. Now, another hip-hop crew from the neighbourhood is making all the right noises with their scintillating lyrics, which come with a dab of Marathi, Telugu and Tamil. And with their latest music video, the six 18-year-old members of 7bantai'Z prove that there is much more that's still to be discovered in the area. Called Music Everyday, the video has been shot in their "hood" and talks about how music changed their lives at the age of 14. "We are nothing without music. And our music stems from where we belong — Dharavi," says member David Klyton aka Mr Scam.
David Klyton aka Mr Scam
Neighbours and alums of Sadhana Vidyalaya in Sion, it wasn't long before the boys were hanging out after school. But it was their common interest in regional hip-hop that sealed the bond in 2013.
Aditya Vhatkar aka Crackpot
"Earlier, we used to listen to Bollywood. Sure, we'd heard numbers like Sean Paul's Temperature, but only because it was considered cool. Also, these songs were in English, which we didn't quite understand then," he adds. Besides, hip-hop was associated with the likes of Honey Singh and co. till 2013, when Naezy and Divine came into the scene. "Dopeadelicz was a crew based out of Dharavi and had released a track about cops chasing kids, which we were familiar with. It was written in Marathi, making it more relatable. We decided to form a crew after we met them," adds Klyton.
Nishant Mohite aka Bonz n Ribz
But pursuing their dreams came with difficulties, as their parents didn't approve of them. "Because rap was all about 'char bottle vodka' then! One member even left because his parents were so against the idea," shares Kylton. But they carried on and went on to incorporate Tamil and Telugu lyrics in their songs, choosing to show the diversity of their "hood" in their songs.
Siddesh Jammi aka Lil Damn
The words the youngsters pen down today talk about issues like broken promises of the government. "We're tax-paying citizens now and can talk about how people are being fooled by politicians, and issues like rape and farmer suicides. I have been watching different politicians come and promise that Dharavi won't be a slum anymore since I was kid. It hasn't happened and will not happen," explains Kylton.
Yogesh Kurme aka Yoku BIG
And even though their neighbourhood gained popularity overnight thanks to Gully Boy, this crew believes it was a much-needed movie as it made people aware of regional rap, it's still not a hip-hop movie. "Hip-hop is not just rap. And Dharavi is not like what's shown in the movie. But at least people don't think Badshah and Honey Singh define hip-hop in India!" concludes Kylton, adding that they are working to release their debut album by the end of this year.
Abhishek Kurme aka Beat Slayer
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