Category: Music

Rapper Deepa Unnikrishnan, better known as Dee MC, advises aspiring female rappers to always strive to have their own identity. She says, “If you’ve entered this genre with the hopes of making a name for yourself, then set your own path and don’t follow trends.”…writes Puja Gupta.

In an interview with IANSlife, Dee MC speaks about her journey of eight years in the industry, the challenges she faced and more. Read excerpts:

How has your journey thus far in an industry that is dominated by males in India?

Any and every field in the world is male-dominated so Hip Hop or any other genre falls under the same. India as a country is no different, in fact, due to our population and regressive patriarchy it is only worse. I won’t sugarcoat, it definitely wasn’t a piece of cake to get to where I am today. When we started there was barely any industry for hip hop, so our focus was mainly self-improvement. Although the journey has had its ups and downs, I consider myself to be one of the most empowered females in this country. As I get to choose my own path and set an example that is truly inspiring. I’d like to add that although our society is quite orthodox, my personal experience has been that women do get encouraged by the male artists of the South Asian hip hop scene. So it’s always good to reach out to the people around you in order to keep improving.

Tell us about the challenges you have faced?

Like I said, the journey has its ups and downs and now at this point in my life the hardships look like a distant memory. The struggles today are on a different level and scale than what it was 2 or 3 years ago. If I had to put my finger on one thing, I would say that being a young teenage girl from a small town like Kalyan was my biggest challenge when I started out. A lot of energy went into acquiring permission from my family to travel for shows or cyphers. For a while I was living a dual life where my family had no idea what my Dee MC alter ego is up to. But these experiences shaped my state of mind – that I couldn’t rely on anyone else to fulfil my dreams. If I want to actively be a part of the music industry, I had to make it out of my hometown. That whole process of standing up on my own feet came with its own challenges, but it all came down to bringing forth more strength from within.

What are your takeaways from all the years of experience?
I started when I was only 18 years old. So in my 8 year journey the most important takeaway has been to take care of my own health — mind and body. I had to redirect myself to slow down and enjoy the journey, and not be in a hurry to get ahead. I truly believe in the power of the universe and I believe that every genuine effort I put in comes back in some form of positive way that helps me grow with each experience. Remaining self-assured, and focused on one’s dreams and hopes rather than what others say, has been key.

You have collaborated with Glow & Lovely to create a rap song. Tell us about it.

Glow & Lovely came together with me to share the brand philosophy through a rap song. We created the Glow Ko Na Roko’ rap song, which brings to the forefront the concept of �glow’- which goes beyond outer appearance to the confidence that comes forth when one creates their own identity. The Glow Ko Na Roko’ rap equates glow’ with identity and urges women to not let anything stop them from pursuing their dreams. Glow & Lovely celebrates the inner glow of confidence that comes from knowing one’s inner strength, from expressing opinions and breaking barriers of inner doubts or societal expectations and this is was in line with a lot of my own journey. I have expressed this in the song too.

What message does your song give?

While women in India would like to choose their own identity, they have been conditioned to listen to others. The message of the rap ‘Glow Ko Na Roko’ is for women to embark on the journey of choosing their own identity, free from the fetters of society. It celebrates the inner confidence and glow of the Indian woman.

The lyrics Mera glow meri pehchaan, Mere rang ka na socho, Pure ho iraade khudse yeh vaadaa’ strongly emphasize how today’s women should aspire to reach their goal and not think of society as a hindrance. Moreover, the rap also highlights how outer appearances don’t matter and what really counts is one’s inner determination, and this self-assurance is what can truly be called a Glow.

What message would you give to girls who are aspiring to make a mark in rapping?

I would advise them to always strive to have their own identity. Your distinctive identity is what will get you further in the career and it is something you must never lose. It’s very easy to get influenced in a space that is new to you. If you’ve entered this genre with the hopes of making a name for yourself, then set your own path and don’t follow trends. Because in the end hip hop as a culture is all about keeping it real, and only your own perseverance will take you ahead in the journey.

What are you working on next?

I’ve been working on growing my YouTube subscriber base this year and with every upload I’m get closer to the goal I set. I’ve already put out several singles this year the latest one being “Jumla” that released on August 15. I have a really special music video releasing for my single named ‘Confess’ – which gives the important message of not neglecting one’s mental health. Apart from that I’m also working on a four track EP which will be out early 2021.

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West Indies cricket superstar Chris Gayle sure has a career alternative now. He is out making a mark in the world of music, and a new track he has collaborated on as a rapper has already crossed one million views on YouTube. Gayle tells you music comes naturally to him.

One of the most destructive batsmen in limited-overs cricket, Gayle prefers calling himself an entertainer. Fondly known as the Universe Boss, he says music is something he finds very enjoyable.

“I find it very enjoyable. I’ve grown up surrounded by music and sport – it’s a big part of our Jamaican culture and it’s in our blood,” Gayle told IANS.

He recently collaborated with British Indian singer Avina Shah for a dance track titled “Groove” as a rapper.

“I was excited about doing this project and creating a song that anyone can listen and groove to — it is an international sound with a mix of Jamaica, India and the UK,” said Gayle.

“We really enjoyed putting this song together and managed to put it together in a very short space of time. It was all done over the phone — a lot of WhatsApp messages back and forth to plan it out, but it worked out perfectly,” he added.

After shooting for the music video in Jamaica, Gayle flew to Dubai for the Indian Premier League. He recalls using the lockdown period to polish his singing skills.

“I released a remix song with Stylo G called ‘Too hot’ during lockdown, and now this (‘Groove’) is my first collaboration with a female artiste. I had fun making this track and the response has been really great,” said Gayle.

Clearly, he is serious about his musical plans. “I’ve also just set up my music label, so we plan to launch more songs in the near future in various genres,” he informed.

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British Indian singer Avina Shah has collaborated with Chris Gayle for a new dance track, but originally the West Indies cricket superstar wanted to do a remix of her 2018 track, Playboy.

“A mutual friend thought it would be a great idea for us to do a song together. I was introduced to Chris over a phone call while I was in Greece recently. Our friend had shown him some of my previous songs and Chris liked the East-West sound in my music and originally wanted to do a remix of my track ‘Playboy’,” Avina told.

“We got talking about doing a song together and creating something different by adding the Caribbean flavour to my sound, by mixing India, the UK and Jamaica to create something unique. I don’t think this has been done before in anything I’ve heard, so I was really excited about the project,” she added.

Talking about the song “Groove”, she shared that it is a track she created long before the pandemic.

“I had huge plans for 2020 musically and it was due to be one of my future dance releases. However, the pandemic put a halt on a lot of my musical plans for this year. The song is all about dance, about letting your hair down and letting your body naturally groove to the beats,” she said.

Are there more collaborations in the future?

“You can expect some surprises coming up with my future music as I always like to try new sounds and challenge myself as an artiste. I will be working with some interesting artistes and brands, so stay tuned,” she said.

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Filmmaker-choreographer Remo D’Souza was happy to return to a film set after the lockdown hiatus — that too to shoot a music video in Goa.

Remo and his team of dancers put on their dancing shoes for the video of “Log kya kahenge” last week, and he says the experience of shooting amid the new normal was “exhilarating”. The video features Remo with dancing stars Punit Pathak, Dharmesh Yelande, Rahul Shetty, Abhinav Shekhar, Salman Yusuff Khan and Sushant.

“It was exhilarating to return to a working set after a long time. The experience was a little different but the energy and enthusiasm to put on our dancing shoes for the camera again, following the pause in our work lives, was unmatched. Hope the audience enjoys the song as much as we enjoyed making it,” said Remo.

The song is written, sung and composed by Abhinav Shekhar.

According to the producer of the video, Mahesh Kukreja, all government-mandated protocols were in place during the shooting, including proper sanitisation, temperature check and a compulsory Covid-19 test for all crew members.

Remo also shot two other songs in Goa. While one video features Siddharth Gupta and Karishma Sharma, the second was filmed on Salman Yusuf and Shakti Mohan.

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