Going with the flow

A screengrab from Shambho's latest track Tan Tan Bhan Bhan

Hard-hitting rap poetry is one of the essential components of hip-hop music. People spit rhymes that talk of subjects as wide-ranging as societal injustice and the ability to throw riches around. But an equally integral part of the genre is the musician's sense of beat and rhythm or "flow" as it's called. Without it, a hip-hop song is as ineffectual as a capsule with no medicine inside it. And while there are some Indian rappers whose flow leaves a lot to be desired, there some who have found their voice to create a niche for themselves.

One such person is Umesh Khade aka Shambho. The Mumbai-based artiste might be little-known in the English-speaking circles, but his following among Marathi youngsters is so huge that his YouTube channel has 1.25 lakh subscribers. No wonder, since he delivers some mean Marathi lines in his music, which is also what he's done with his latest track Tan Tan Bhan Bhan. In it, Shambho goes around the city dressed alternatively like a typical tapori and as a white-kurta and topi-wearing son of the soil. The track has already notched up 12.2 lakh views, which is no surprise given how the youngster has perfected his flow. Watch out for this promising talent.

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