CHENNAI: I always knew that I would do something great and different from almost everyone in my friends circle,” says Prabh Deep. The Delhi-based MC who raps in Hindi and Punjabi is popularly known for his distinctive voice and also for being outspoken. The musician, who was recently in the city to perform at the IndiEarthXChange, spoke to CE about his musical journey.
“I began breakdancing around 7-8 years ago; I was still in school at the time and then moved on to being an MC, hosting local hip-hop jams. It was during that time that I started writing my own music,” recalls the brown belt judo player and a national level hockey player.
Though he is known as one of the best underground MCs especially for organising underground MC battles, Prabh Deep disagrees with the term ‘underground’. “Underground was a term given out by the media; I would rather call it independent,” he clarifies.
Prabh Deep adds that it is because of explicit words that most musicians produce, it is termed as underground. “If you look at USA, they play this kind of music on VH1 and MTV all the time; that’s what we want too. The same content should be played on our radios and TV channels,” he avers.
Most of his music revolves around topics that he feels strongly about — from life experiences to his observations in the society; and he even has a unique way of delivering it.
He says that most people don’t really have time for intellectual music; they want to just relax and have fun. “I play it smart — my music is enjoyable but at the same time my lyrics are quite deep. When people listen to the lyrics, they often flip, saying oh isne kya bola abhi (Oh what did he just say).”
Prabh Deep considers himself quite lucky because of family support. “Be it emotionally or financially, they have always supported me. Never once did they doubt my music or capabilities. They always had my back, and that is something very rare. So I consider myself blessed,” he smiles. The artist who was in the city for the first time idolises Kendrick Lamar and dreams of working with him someday.
Anything musical
Multi-instrumentalist Anuj Dimri credits his regimented army background for his exposure to different kinds of music. “When I first told my family I wanted to pursue music, they were shocked. But, I wanted to come to Chennai and learn music at KM Conservatory and that’s what I did!” recalls Anuj, who recently performed his compositions as part of the event IndieEarthXchange2017.
“The song was composed and written by me and I am extremely happy that Australian music producers who recorded it — Brad Columbine and Dan James witnessed it,” says the musician, who loves to dabble with different genres of music including pop, blues, folk and jazz. Be it taking up Hindustani classical lessons at the Army Public School, New Delhi, or picking up the guitar at 15, Anuj has constantly been musically inclined.
“As a biomedical engineer, I want to dabble with both music and that. There’s something called Sonic in biomedical. It exposes sounds to a new born baby to develop sensitivity in them. So, I might do something on those lines in the future.” Anuj also sings for jingles and corporate anthems. But, his dream is to start his own production some day.