Naezy is a funny guy. Seriously. His debut album, Maghreb, is brimming with humour. But you have to get it to appreciate it. It's almost like he's pulling you into an inside joke. Even when he is talking about love in Pyaar hai, for example, you don't quite know if the rapper from Kurla is talking about a girl or whether he means it about you. The song's got a nudge-nudge-wink-wink feel. And that playful quality gives the musician a unique voice in the sphere of gully rap. This is a hip-hop album that makes you laugh, a rarity in Indian indie.

But there are moments of anger, too. In Khamakha, the singer warns against the pitfalls of accepting your lot when people around are taking you for a ride. In Jeeta haara on the other hand, he gets self-reflective — philosophical even — talking about how life is just a ride. Mere bhantai is a straight-out love letter to the youngsters coasting on the tidal wave that Indian hip-hop is becoming. And in Kon hard, the last track, Naezy embodies an old-school hip-hop tradition of baring your chest, thumping it with your fist, and announcing to the world that you have arrived.