Andhra-based rapper Roll Rida looks back on how his normal life has gone for a cinematic toss after his rap career took off.
Rahul Kumar Velpula, aka Roll Rida had a Kolaveri di moment when his music started making waves in Canada. “I read about Tamil superstar Dhanush’s viral video and how he was shooting abroad and heard the locals singing the song with great gusto. I was stumped to see Ivvalane, my latest number, getting the same kind of attention at Toronto’s amusement parks and dance floors,” says the Telugu rapper after watching the video his friend posted on his Facebook timeline last week.
Ivvalane (meaning today in Telugu) is easily Rahul’s biggest hit till now with over 1,00,000 views so far, considering it was released in end August. Directed by Chandra Ananthuni and produced by the California-based Hyderabad Talkies, the four-minute video by the US production house is being aired during the promo time in theatres across the US. Roll Rida says that it was his performance in July at Detroit that fetched him the offer.
“I performed to a packed audience and Hyderabad Talkies approached me backstage to find out if we could collaborate. Before I knew, the cameras were rolling and we shot the video in California,” says the rapper.
As he revels in the success of Anasuya Kosam, his most recent number for the Samantha-starrer Aa Aa, he recalls his best moment of rapping for none other than Power Star Pawan Kalyan in Gopala Gopala last year. “I was called to the studio for a rap song. After the rehearsals, on day three, I went to my music director and told him that I would like to know the scene so that the lyrics would be in sync. The moment he showed me the scene, I was shocked to see that it was for Power Star Pawan Kalyan,” he says.
This 27-year-old never imagined this is where he would land up because his entry into the rapping world was unexpected. “I liked some of the songs by Linkin Park and memorised them. When I was asked to sing as part of the ragging ritual, I blurted out lines from Papercut by the American rock band. Impressed, they ordered me to rap a song for them every single day,” recalls Rahul. And thus began his journey.
After their previous music videos Patang and Dilkush which fetched them over one million views, Roll Rida had no doubts about Ivvalane. With funky and colloquial lyrics like Abbey nuvvu kummale, mama nuvvu dunnale...repu guarantee ille vintunnava bommale, it is bound to become a youth anthem soon.
Reach out: facebook.com/IamRollRida