From Ghatkopar to the Grammys: Rapper Yashraj Mehra’s big leap

Every Bachelor of Mass Media BMM batch in this city mdash anyone who has been a part of one will attest mdash has one student who you can bet will go places one day For the 2018 batch at Jai Hind College in Churchgate that cool kid on the block was Yashraj Mehra Had you made that bet on Mehra it wouldrsquove paid off last week on November 7 when the Ghatkopar resident made it to the nominations for the 68th Grammy Awards Best Global Music Album as a featured artiste on Siddhant Bhatiarsquos album Sounds of KumbhaThe Grammy storyldquoI was catching up with old school friends over dinner in Ghatkopar when I received a message about the project being nominated I read the message out quite casually The scale of what had just happened didnrsquot sink in right away But my friends were over the moon They cheered for me louder than I ever haverdquo the 25yearold recallsYashraj performs at a college fest in 2017That text message was from a group comprising artistes Siddhant Bhatia Gujarati folk sensation Aditya Gadhvi and saxophonist Lars Moller among others who worked on Sounds of Kumbha an album featuring liverecorded sounds from the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj Credited as composer and lyricist on the song Wheel of Time Yashraj is one of the youngest on the celebrated ensemble rosterThe song features visuals from the Kumbh Mela in PrayagrajldquoThe concept was a breath of fresh air for me Sourcing music through unconventional methods adds a unique texture to the song More importantly as a hiphop artiste it begged the question can I put my thoughts across without the usual aggression associated with the genre When I wrote the verse it fit like a LEGO block in the rest of the songrdquo he recalls Shot at the Island City Studios in Khar the rapperrsquos longdistance collaboration sounds a lot like what this writer heard almost a decade ago across college stages ldquoIrsquove lived a life and a half after my college days I had to adapt to the scene This song felt like going back tobeing the old vulnerable merdquo he admitsSiddhant BhatiaBehind the sceneslsquoGhatkopar ka ladkarsquo as he calls himself on his new track Yashraj gives credit at least some of it to his alma mater Udayachal High School in Vikhroli ldquoWhile the lsquocoolrsquo boys who played sport flaunted their absurdly large friend groups during lunch break I would sit in my corner writing rap It taught me the ability to isolate myself which comes in handy even todayrdquo he says In college the artiste had his own coming of age and burst onto the cultural festival scene with theatre shows directing short films hosting events and rapping As this writer recalls it was almost impossible to be at a college festival in the city where the artiste wasnrsquot the topic of discussionLars Moller plays the saxophone during the 2025 Kumbh MelaEminem Mobb Deep Wu Tang Clan Tupac Shakur and closer to home Vivian Fernandes aka DIVINE have a hand in ushering the young artiste to limelight he informs us ldquoI would listen to albums like Nasrsquos Illmatic from start to finish on loop It gave me the confidence to join rap cyphers and jams in the city I entered the scene at the right time DIVINErsquos landmark track Jungli Sher had just been released and the scene was boomingrdquo he says The admiration is mutual he would eventually learn when Fernandes met the rapper and gave the then 20yearold Yashraj a pat on the backYashraj with DIVINE PICS COURTESYYASHRAJ MEHRA ON INSTAGRAMFast forwardThe rapper might soon run out of boxes to tick on his bucket list With collaborations with bigticket rappers like Badshah and Raftaar a solidified presence on most festival rosters and now a Grammy nomination we wonder what lies aheadAditya GadhvildquoIrsquom turning back I want to revisit my older emotions this time as a more mature artiste I am no longer trying to prove anything to anyone I donrsquot have to be flashy and loud I would rather spend an evening with my close friends than attend at a party with the bigwigs It keeps me sane Sane enough to keep writingrdquo he signs offLog on to Sounds of Kumbha on Spotify and YouTube yashraj on Instagram