And that is a rap!

The city-based ‘Team Magsmen’ is all about rapping for the Gen Next with a brand they call, ‘entertainment for all ages’ and a storytelling through music

It could be a lilting melody that takes you back in time or a haunting tune that lifts your soul. It “matters” because music has power, music’s effect on listeners can be difficult to measure. But several scientific inquiries have made it clear that lyrics and images presented in music videos actually do have a poignant and measurable impact on listeners.

The city-based team Magsmen is a group of six youngsters aged 20-26 years; Madhurima, Pranav, Armaan Azaad, Sunayana, Sri Haritha, Aroon Kumar and Sonu. Coming together from across the country, the team creates an amalgamation of rap songs, with each member brining a unique skill to their numbers.

Their first video was a rap version of AR Rahman’s single from the upcoming Telugu movie ‘Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo’, which is directed by Gautham Menon. Within a week of uploading their video, they managed to get more than 20,000 hits on it.

In an interaction with The Hans India, the band members speak about their music and their vision of “entertainment in all forms”.

What was the first song that you ever sang? How did it make you feel?
Armaan: I was a mega Eminem fan. As a kid I used to spend hours listening to him rap. I slowly moved towards creating my own lyrics in Hindi and English; over the tracks of English rap artistes. And that’s how it all began. Today, I still worship Eminem and continue to memorise his songs and an achievement I cherish is the fact that I sing the fastest Rap God sequence at 120X speed.”

If you had to describe your music in three or four words what would you call it?
Aroon Kumar: The world is all about entertainment and Magsmen is… “Entertainment”.

What are some themes you cover in your songs?
Sunayana: We started with revised rap version of AR Rahman’s “Vellipomaakey”. Going forward we are planning to make original songs and various forms of videos for India and the world.

If you had to categorise your content, what genre would it best fit?
Pranav: We would name it as New Gen content as we are targeting a brand new form of entertainment for people of all ages.

You’ve heard of the term "starving artistes” before, how do you cope with major obstacles?
Sri Haritha: Well, we follow four strict rules in the team—don’t give up, don’t start comparisons, stay positive and set goals. This is our mantra to handle any obstacle that we come across.

How you are feeling after getting 20,000 views and why did you named your group as Magsmen?
Madhurima: We are absolutely delighted. And motivating ourselves to do something better than what we made, in all aspects of art. Magsmen – the word defines “group of people who are storytellers”. We all have our stories and we are here to share it will everyone.