Making a mark in hip-hop

The rap culture was introduced in India in the 90’s. Since then many hip-hop artistes made their mark in this arena. Afzal Minhaaj, city-based hip-hop artiste, was in awe of rapping since he first heard the track “One Love” by Blue. “We shifted from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad 16 years ago.

My friend introduced me to rap. I was blown away when I heard the track ‘One Love’ by Blue. I never heard rap before that. Later, I decided to become a hip-hop artiste and studied Sound Engineer in Panache School of Sound, Banjara Hills,” Afzal shares.

Till date Afzal, has produced three music videos and six tracks. Some of his tracks are “Bliss”, “Malika”, “502”, “Purple State of Mind” and “Unheard”.

“The hip-hop culture is growing fast in India. Cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru became a hub and many Mumbai rap artistes are giving quality output like international artistes. In Hyderabad, it is growth is slow but I am hopeful it will gain momentum in near future. Many people come to me and they appreciate my work and it feels good to receive positive reviews about your work.”

Afzal’s production style focuses on sampling, the act of taking a portion, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song. He said that he was influenced by Dr Dre and Nas, the American rapper and hip-hop artistes. He also stated that one should come up with new ideas every time and produce quality music to survive in the field.

“My music is fresh and mixed with Indian elements with hip-hop drum patterns. I’m trying to make a mark in the music industry. Music aficionados always looking for fresh content. I’m ready to work with anyone if they are good at rap,” Afzal concludes.