Indian rap culture isn’t limited to a specific group or community. Since hip-hop has gone mainstream, it’s catching on rapidly! A bunch of skillful rappers have emerged from the deepest parts of the country and are now receiving recognition and applause.
Raftaar and Emiway sparked a national fascination with India’s hip-hop scene. With Indian rap revolutionizing, everyone’s trying to understand the complex lyrics of their favorite bands, courtesy of shows like MTV Hustle and films like Gully Boy.
This article will highlight various Indian rappers and artists featuring impressive music. Check out these Indian rappers who make some fantastic music to follow.
Top 10 Indian Rappers dominating the Industry
10. Naezy The Baa
In the movie ‘Gully Boy,’ which stars Ranveer Singh, the main character emerges from the slums of Mumbai’s Dharavi and delivers a story inspired by none other than Naved Shaikh, the famous Indian rapper.
The rapper can rap in two different languages – Hindi and Marathi. His first single, ‘Aafat,’ was released in 2014. The song describes what makes Mumbai, the city of dreams, so special. Mumbai slang is often used in his raps.
In the early days of his career, Naezy also emulated the rap styles of well-known rappers such as Lil Wayne and Sean Paul.
9. Divine
A hip-hop artist born on 2nd October 1990, Vivian Fernandes, popularly known as Divine, hails from the Andheri area of Mumbai, India.
As an underground rapper, he began his career as a rapper in the year 2011. A part of Mumbai’s Finest, he was a member of a Hip Hop crew. He was awarded Best Music Video of The Year by Rolling Stone India in 2014, putting him in a select group of musicians.
A song we hear every day, ‘Mere Gully Mein,’ is a collaboration with fellow Mumbai rapper Naezy. The story behind Gully Boy is based on Divine’s life and the life of his friend and fellow rapper Naved Shaikh, aka Naezy.
8. Ikka
Ankit Singh, previously known as Ikka Singh, is a rapper from Jamunapaar (Delhi) known for his songs in Bollywood and underground. In approx. 2014, Ikka makes his Bollywood debut.
Raftaar, Lilgolu, and other rappers were part of a Mafia Mundeer crew. However, he decided to leave the mafia murder organization for personal reasons. Ikka has produced commercial and hip-hop rap songs throughout his career.
As a result, Ikka has gained a great deal of popularity in India. Almost all his songs reach the top of the YouTube trending section and are featured on major music platforms like Saawn, Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, etc. “Fab Entertainment” is Ikka’s music label that has recently reached 200k subscribers.
Ikka is a well-known singer of Indian songs, and many of his songs are very popular in India, some of which are Dilbar, half window down, Badri ki dulhalniya, Nindra, Mummy Kasam, and more.
His best hip-hop songs include Sapne, Shuruaat, Parichay, Interview, Hip-hop to the Music, and Me Fan Bhagat Singh.
7. MC Stan
As a young man, MC Stan fell in love with rap and has become one of the most influential figures in Indian hip-hop. Altaf Shaikh, the prodigy born in Pune, wrote his first rap in seventh grade. MC Stan, who grew up listening to Qawwali music, incorporates strong lyrics into his raps.
Furthermore, he gained popularity by participating in Bigg Boss 16, a reality TV show. Apart from grabbing the general public’s attention, young boys have found his music highly relatable, and his songs have gained wide popularity. It is amazing how rapidly MC Stan has become one of India’s top 10 rappers.
Several songs by Yash Raj are widespread and deeply connected with the youth. Among them are “Watta,” “Ek Din Pyaar,” “Khuja Mat,” and “Loki.”
6. Emiway Bantai
Shahrukh Seikh, or Emiway, is one of India’s rising stars. Known in India as a hardworking rapper with a great flow, he has an amazing flow. Emiway’s songs have been trending on YouTube for 2 years so you can see his popularity in India.
The year 2020 was filled with international collaborations for him. India has one of the strongest fan followings for Emiway. The night after Raftaar and Emiway’s argument, Emiway’s rapping career took off. Emiway is the first rapper from India to reach 10 million subscribers.
Among Emiway’s most impressive achievements is that Machaayenge and Firse Machayenge have had over 200 million views on YouTube.
On YouTube, his song samajh me aaya kya has garnered over 100 million views. Currently, his YouTube channel has over 11 million subscribers.
5. King Rocco
Arpan Kumar Chandel was passionate about hip-hop in his early years, eventually leading him to become King Rocco, one of the best-known Indian rappers today.
While only 24 years old, he has become one of India’s most successful and popular rappers. MTV Hustle’s top five finalists helped King gain fame in 2019.
As a result, he earned a strong following that is well-known and respected in India. In 2021, King, also known as Badnaam Raja and King Hustle, competed in MTV Hustle 2.0, establishing himself as an Indian music star.
Read More: King Rocco (Rapper) – Wiki, Age, Bio, Net Worth & More
4. Badshah
Badshah is well-known in the music industry, particularly in terms of his commercial success. The ability of his music to capture the listener’s attention and stay with them is unparalleled. Featuring minimalist music arrangements and killer hooks, Badshah has earned his reputation as the king of commercial music.
Badshah, born Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, is an extremely popular Indian rapper and singer. His songs are primarily in Hindi, Haryanvi, and Punjabi. Bollywood considers him a significant hitmaker. “Born Star” was his debut album, released in collaboration with Deep Cash in 2012.
With “Abhi to party shuru hui hai” in 2014, Badshah shot to fame and since then has won lots of awards, like Best Punjabi Music Director and Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
3. Krishna
The Indian hip-hop scene knows Krishna as Gully Boy, also known as the Lyrical God. Nevertheless, this rapper’s story is long and storied. The 24-year-old rap artist started rapping at 14 and became a member of the rap group “Mavrix” before releasing his single.
In 2006, he began his journey into rap as Young Prospekt. Despite this, the film Gully Boy made him famous for his incredible performance. The film featured rap battles written by Krishna.
He became a hip-hop legend after collaborating with Raftaar to produce several hit songs. He captivated audiences with his clever references and high bars.
Additionally, Krishna has teamed up with artists abroad, including Smokepurpp and Lil Gnar, expanding his fan base. As one of Indian hip-hop’s top 10 rappers, Krishna’s music stands out.
With socially conscious lyrics, Krishna’s music speaks out against corruption and inequality.
2. Raftaar
Raftaar Aka Dilen Nair is one of India’s most popular rappers. A leading hip-hop artist in India, he is a master of his craft. His hometown is Kerala, and he lives in Delhi. Featuring Manj Music, he gained fame with Swag Mera Desi. He was also in Honey Honey Singh’s Mafia Mundeer crew.
Ikka and Lil Golu were his best friends when he was just starting out in his career. There is a large fan following for raftaar in India now. Additionally, he judges the first hip-hop reality show in India, MTV Hustle.
Raftaar has released two albums, Zero to Infinity and Mr Nair. The songs by Raftaar include Toh Dhisoom, Babe Marvake Maanegi, Shekhchilli, Swag Mera Desi, Aage Chal, Saare Kare Dab, Mantoniyat, and Naachne Ka Shauq.
1. Yo Yo Honey Singh
Harinder Singh, better known as Honey Singh, is a person who has made significant contributions to the Indian music industry. As a musician, he introduced rap music to the Indian audience and Bollywood.
Honey can produce, write lyrics, and rap too. It all started in 2011 when he gave back-to-back hits to the music industry. He’s now one of the most famous rappers in India. Almost every Indian music listener knows Honey Singh. India got rap music from Honey Sing.
A few of his popular rap songs are Brown Rang, blue eyes, Desi Kalaakar, one bottle down, Makhna, Lungi Dance, Atta maaji stake, Sunny Sunny Loka, Dheere Dheere, and many others.
Conclusion
Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of rap and hip-hop music in India, which has provided aspiring Indian rappers with opportunities for lucrative careers. Spotify and YouTube are two of the biggest factors contributing to this growth of Indian rappers.
Many platforms are available today that allow musicians to share their music with a broader audience, and artists have taken advantage of these platforms to reach a broader audience and make it to the top 10 Indian rappers list.
Read More
Female DJ in India dominating the Music Industry
Most popular Bengali Actors/ Actress in Tollywood
Bengali Romantic and Drama Movies in India
Top Famous Mentalists in India
