Tune in to this all-Marathi rap track about self awareness

There is something familiar and comforting about your mother tongue It lacks the pretense and is a lot more personal than one admits For Shreyas Sagvekar it is core to individual identity The 27yearold Punebased lyricist and rapper has been rapping for close to a decade But till he randomly scribbled down his thoughts in his mother tongue Marathi he did not truly discover the genreIt feels odd he admits to say that it was a random act ldquoI started rapping in English and still do But I have to say it feels easier and comfortable to write in Marathirdquo Sagvekar shares Tracing his roots to Ratnagiri in Konkan Sagvekar grew up in the neighbourhood of Wadala before moving to Pune to pursue engineering Yet the sense of stubbornness and defiance that the city teaches stayed with him It is captured in the title of his first allMarathi track Uddhat produced by his collaborator Vedang DeshpandeSagvekar performs alongside fellow rappers at a gigldquoThe title translates to cocky or arrogant It is a reference to the dismissive nickname children get when they question authorities or parentsrdquo Sagvekar says It is also a reference to a lack of appreciation for individualism ldquoWe are trying to be selfaware with the single No matter how you approach your art you need to be selfaware That comes from knowing your identity You can learn technique production or style but unless you are selfaware you can never truly utilise these skillsrdquo he remarksThe track flows with lyrics that explain the anger and stubbornness of the duo Deshpandersquos production is sharp stylish and raises the verve and tenacity of the lyrics The catchy track has enough hook despite any linguistic barriers to catch on for a hiphop fanIt is part of the culture the lyricist explains ldquoMarathi as literature and culture has a long tradition of antiestablishment works Whether you refer to the literature of Namdeo Dhasal or others from the past they were antiestablishment in some ways I remember listening to my mother read them to me and being surprised at the ideas and themes they exploredrdquo he sharesVedang Deshpande sets a grooveFor Deshpande though the focus remains the music He insists ldquoWhen it comes to Marathi hiphop Shreyas and I have always tried to bring something fresh to our sound It cannot be the same thing As a producer I look for a distinct sound which can be an instrument or a vibe as well But it has to be something melodically distinct in my beatsrdquoWhile the style is fresh mdash considering the few Marathi rap tracks that emerge mdash it is not an easy genre to navigate Sagvekar admits as much saying ldquoMarathi hiphop is still in its nascent stage Right now many are still figuring out their identity and style As a hiphop community we are still not completely confident in our own work This might change in the next two or three yearsrdquoThe duo hopes to be part of the change Their next single is Mumbaichi paidaish a product of Mumbai crafted from Sagvekarrsquos life experiences ldquoThis city has taught me the need to work hard no matter where I go It gives you a lesson in stubbornness like no otherrdquo he says The track is the first of two and will release in October 2023 ldquoWe are also planning an album but that will take longer We hope to be ready to release it in 2024rdquo Sagvekar concludesLog on to Uddhat on Spotify YouTubeExpose the audience to more genresI started making House music by remixing popular Marathi songs on a whim There was no strategy to it In fact the first time I played few people even showed up Then I realised that there is a need to promote such events properly What I have noticed is that regional writers are protective of the genre They believe that if you are fusing it with regional elements you are spoiling itMy genre is still house and the fundamental elements remain constant The same goes with hiphop Unless the core elements of the genre are present you will lose out on the audience The presentation needs to be according to that This responsibility falls upon the artisteThere is a space for an audience in new genres especially in Marathi I see rappers in hiphop pushing that line with experimentation But we need to understand that Marathi people in general are proud of their old music The issue is that they donrsquot expose themselves to too many forms from outside This is the void which needs to be filled by artistes like usKrunal Ghorpade aka DJ Kratex 29Marathi rappers to watch out forgtgt RockSunlisten Saltanat Gulabyachya phula on Spotifygtgt MC Gawthilisten Most wanted on Spotifygtgt Sambatalisten Sod lacharicha paksh on Spotifygtgt Shambholisten Apla time yenar aahe on Spotifygtgt MC Dodolisten Karshil kashta on Spotify