Haq Se Bolo Podcast Qyuki Digital Media & Rolling Stone India

The twelfth episode of #HaqSeBolo podcast features New Delhi/Mumbai hip-hop artist Hemant Dhyani aka MC Heam in conversation with Rolling Stone India Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.

MC Heam recently found mainstream acclaim during his stint on MTV’s ‘Hustle’ but the freestyle rapper has been rapping for over a decade, having belted bars on both 2019’s “Marvel Anthem (Hindi)” and the “Jai Hindi India” 2018 Hockey World Cup anthem. He’s been making waves for his lo-fi hip-hop sound with tracks like “Woh”, “Bahut Soft” and the yet unreleased “Launda Tha Yeh Befikar,” adding dashes of social and political commentary while also critiquing the evolution of the Indian hip-hop scene through the use of satire. Heam is also one of the instructors at The Dharavi Dream Project which is known as Asia’s afterschool of hip-hop.

The eleventh episode of #HaqSeBolo podcast features Mumbai hip-hop artist Ankur Johar aka Enkore in conversation with Rolling Stone India Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.
Hard-hitting veracity and an unflinching hustle radiate in Enkore’s music, right from his debut LP ‘Libra Scale’, the balancing act he put forth as he wore the varied hats of a student, entrepreneur, and artist to his sophomore record, the vulnerable and ambitious ‘Bombay Soul’. With tracks built on smooth R&B, old-school soul, chill lo-fi blends and subtle desi instrumentals, Enkore’s sound has never been afraid to emote and fill the silence, taking on mental health, social issues, privilege and more; the rapper always presents with no bars held.

The tenth episode of #HaqSeBolo podcast features Mumbai hip-hop collective The Dharavi Dream Project (TDDP) in conversation with Rolling Stone India Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.
Comprising rappers, beatboxers, DJs, graffiti artists and breakdancers, TDDP is the epicenter of Dharavi’s youth cultural scene, offering classes across hip-hop’s elements. Co-founded by digital media firm Qyuki and Universal Music India, TDDP’s goal is to find and nurture the next generation of desi hip-hop, giving kids and teenagers a chance to learn from some of the best in the business.

The ninth episode of #HaqSeBolo podcast features Chandigarh/Goa rapper MC Manmeet Kaur in conversation with Rolling Stone India Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.

Since her teenage years, MC Manmeet Kaur has always been a bold voice of reason and courage, calling out misogyny, inequality, and taking on topics no one has before. The rapper’s 2015 debut album, ‘Hip Hop Bahu’, offered groundbreaking commentary on womanhood, especially on life as a married woman in India, while her 2018 sophomore record ‘Neophilia’ attempted to create a medium to connect art and society, to open up a dialogue and become a cleaner mirror to life around. Her chill-hop sound mingles with infusions of dub and reggae, further diversifying MC Manmeet Kaur’s sonic palette.

The eighth episode of #HaqSeBolo podcast features Indore rapper Nitin Mishra aka Spitfire in conversation with Rolling Stone India Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.
For Spitfire, rap is his chosen medium of poetry. Inspired by poets Rumi, Mirza Ghalib, Gulzar and more, the Indore rapper deftly mixes Hindi and Urdu to speak his mind and let listeners into his expansive world. Growing up, the rapper was inspired by the likes of Pakistani-American rapper Bohemia which led him to add tunes to his written words, embracing his love for the languages he wrote and expressed himself in. In 2019, he contributed to the ‘Gully Boy’ soundtrack (“Asli Hip-Hop”) and the dialogue too, writing the verses for the protagonist. He then signed to Mumbai artist label IncInk records in March and released his first EP ‘Paathshala’ in June. Winding down the lanes of life, death, truth, karma, art and the role of hip-hop in it all, Spitfire might have much left to say but he’s left listeners with more to mull.

The seventh episode of #HaqSeBolo podcast features Mumbai multilingual rap crew Dopeadelicz in conversation with Rolling Stone India Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.

This Mumbai hip-hop crew has been a fixture in the city’s burgeoning hip-hop scene since 2012, with founders and rappers Tony Sebastian aka Stony Psyko, Rajesh Radhakrishnan aka Dope Daddy and Agnel Avinash Benson aka Ben Z banding together to speak out on imposed strictures of morality. Born from a love for rap and marijuana, Dopeadelicz leaned on their native tongues -- Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi -- Hindi and English to draw on their experience of growing up in Dharavi. The crew isn’t afraid to get intersectional and their viral, breakout singles “Aai Shapath Saheb Me Navtho” (2019) and “Legalise It” (2015) are both cheeky and chock-full of social commentary. Tackling poverty, class disparity, the education system, societal conventions and more, the crew gets more relatable with every release.