If we really want to trace the roots of the rap tradition in the Indian context, we will have to go all the way back to Kathak and the spoken syllables that the dancer must keep pace with.
Films like Navrang (where Kavi Pradeep's poetry was recited) and Aashirwaad (where Ashok Kumar rapped about a 'Railgaadi') and even some hit songs by RD Burman have drawn upon the rap tradition. But for the current generation rap as a music genre started gaining popularity in India only a few years ago when the songs of Eminem caught the fancy of the youth.
Though rap is still looked at more as a fad than an art form, 24-year-old Karthik Sundar Gubbi, has given it a whole new dimension. Starting as 'Neo Fatal', a collaboration with his college friend Sushant Swamy, to riding solo as 'Karnage' and rapping in Kannada, his strikingly fresh avant-garde style has captured many music listeners.
The beginnings
He derived inspiration from Eminem, learnt some of his songs and lip-synced in front of the mirror. Once he mastered it, he turned to the Internet to unleash his new-found talent.
He recounts, "In the heydays of Orkut, there used to be a lot of online text battles. I started taking part in them.” When he started winning them, he was so hooked to it that instead of writing answers in his engineering papers, he used to write battle rhymes. "It became an addiction, which clearly reflected in my engineering score," he laughs.
He then started recording songs, performed them in his college and took part in different competitions. "I got a great response from my music listeners and then there was no looking back."
Two of his favourite moments during college days are of his being on the stage and in the studio.
"When I first started rapping, my parents weren't too happy about it as it affected my studies. But I worked it out. I chose to follow both my dreams. Automobile engineering and my passion which is rap.” But he admits that time is his biggest constraint. He works as a Senior Engineer at the Research and Development wing of Mercedes-Benz. "On weekdays, I am working and on evenings and weekends I am occupied with my music projects. I also visit Germany often for work. With all this, it gets really hectic. But I love it this way. I am often asked about how I manage both work and passion. My answer to them is 'When you really love doing something, you don't need time, you will make time'."
Giving his songs an Indian touch, Karthik started rapping in Kannada in the last quarter of 2011. He takes pride in being the first Kannada rapper to use pure Kannada in his lyrics.
But why Kannada?
"I was once talking to a composer friend about rap in regional languages. When we came to the point about rap in Kannada, he told me, it wouldn't sound 'cool'. Probably because, then, some artists who claimed to rap in Kannada used to actually do it with a fake English accent and a lot of colloquial words. This exchange stuck in his mind and he wanted to prove his friend wrong.
But even though Kannada is his mother tongue, he couldn’t figure a way out to write a rap in the language. Then one day, he got just the right opportunity to make his debut in Kannada rap singing. He recalls, “A friend, Abhijit Kulkarni and I were taking part in a competition for which we had to write a song. I let him do his bit first. He recorded it and sent it over to me. We wanted the hook to be in Kannada. This is when I thought, ‘Ok. Let me give it a shot!’.” The song was Mungaru and it got more than 2,000 downloads, he exclaims. “When I first released the song, I wasn’t sure of what response it would evoke. But I was pleasantly taken aback! They loved the track because it was something fresh and different.” He adds, “Instead of the typical reaction, ‘I didn’t understand a word of what you just rapped, but you sound brilliant’, I was told ‘Wow, I never thought someone could rap in Kannada. And the content of your rap is amazing!’ Isn’t this what every artiste wants? His listeners to relate to his content?”
Two years ago, Karthik was invited to rap Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s poem at Rangashankara on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t be a part of it since I had to fly to Germany just a day before. Last year too, I was in Germany during Kannada Rajyotsava. But I performed Kannada rap for the Kannadigas in Germany.” So far he has performed thrice in Germany and the response has been great.
The creative process
His songs, shaped by the events in and around his life, social causes and how the society functions, are very topical. One of his songs titled Enlightened, is about differently-abled people and how they live a normal life. “I wrote this song when I saw a blind man crossing the road by himself.”
Another track, which is close to his heart, Everlasting, is a dedication to two of his close friends who passed away at a very young age. His song Mother of Mine, was written for a family friend for her birthday. “I wrote it for her kids who wanted to gift that to their mother.”
What’s next?
“Just a week ago I recorded my first international collaboration with composer and DJ, Bangarang Budget from Germany.”
It is a Kannada-English rap called You never have to prove to strangers. “One of my German friends even helped me make an animated video for it. It will be released soon.”
He is also releasing his first music video called Weatherman in a few months. Apart from this, he has collaborated with Carnatic singer, Arun P J and music composer G D Prasad. He excitedly says, “This one is going to be an interesting one. I love working with artists from different genres. The outcome is something new. In industry terms, it is ‘fresh’.” Will he continue to rap in Kannada? “Of course. Kannada is my biggest strength as a rapper.”