Music
5 Naezy songs that helped define Indian hip-hop
Here’s a look at some of the songs that defined Naezy’s career and made him one of the stalwarts of the Indian hip-hop scene over the past few years.
Naezy was a judge and mentor at Red Bull Spotlight. The mentor sessions, workshops and challenges, as well as the finale of Red Bull Spotlight 2020, was documented in a six-part series which had Seedhe Maut as Masters of Ceremony. Click here to know more about the series and where you can watch it.
Over the past decade, few artists have had the kind of indelible impact that Naezy, aka Naved Sheikh, the prodigal son of Indian hip-hop, has had on the Indian cultural landscape.
The Kurla born-and-bred rapper took the country by storm in 2014 with the release of ‘Aafat’ – a raw, unfiltered and uncannily honest piece of writing. It spread like wildfire amongst hip-hop fans and indie scene aficionados and provided a much-needed impetus to the underground hip-hop scene in the country.
Much has been written about gully rap and the meteoric rise of desi hip-hop over the past and Naezy’s ability to craft razor-sharp takedowns of India’s socio-political problems struck a chord with audiences across the country.
Naezy’s commitment towards helping the next generation of hip-hop artists and steering the future of Indian hip-hop is indisputable. Keeping in mind the rate at which the Indian hip-hop scene has exploded over the past few years, we take a look at some of the songs in Naezy’s catalogue that left a lasting impact on hip-hop culture in the country.
‘Aafat’ (2014)
The track that started it all. Naezy’s explosive introduction to the scene came via an unflinching, unapologetic outpouring of emotion that highlighted this young poet’s lyrical dexterity and uncanny ability to make his combination of Urdu, Hindi and Mumbai slang flow over an internet beat. Recorded on an iPad gifted by his father who was working in Dubai, ‘Aafat’ represented the hopes, ambitions and justifiable anger of a section of urban Indian society that was finally finding its voice in the era of digital connectivity.
‘Asal Hustle’ (2015)
Arguably the finest song to emerge from the early sessions between Delhi-based production phenom Sez On The Beat and Naezy in 2015, ‘Asal Hustle’ was an exercise in creating the soundtrack for the people living and surviving Mumbai’s relentless pace of life. ‘Asal Hustle’ is the truest embodiment of Naezy’s ability not just as a talented lyricist, but also as a performer who could deliver an immersive sonic experience when paired with the right producer.
‘Mere Gully Mein’ (2015)
“Bantai. Bacchi. Bamai.” Indian hip-hop would not be where it is now if not for this collaboration between the three mainstays of the hip-hop scene in the country – Divine, Naezy and Sez On The Beat. The infectious hook of ‘Mere Gully Mein’ reverberated around Mumbai’s upmarket clubs as well as sound systems and smartphones in the narrow lanes of Kurla, Dharavi and Andheri East – taking the city and Indian independent music industry by storm. The song’s defiant celebration of life in the city’s poorer and often ignored areas was a strong pushback against the opulence on display in what passed as Indian hip-hop at the time. Naezy took centre stage, winning fans across the city with a performance that was as effortless as it was authentic.
‘Tragedy Main Comedy’ (2016)
When All India Bakchod, then at the peak of their viral appeal, announced On Air With AIB – their take on the satirical news show – there was only one artist who could do justice to the show’s title track. Pairing up with Sez once again, Naezy was fresh off the success of ‘Mere Gully Mein’, which at this point had become a bona fide hit, cutting across class and cultural boundaries. ‘Tragedy Main Comedy’ showcases a version of the rapper brimming with confidence as he expertly used his penmanship to deliver a tongue-in-cheek verse that also painted a vivid – if at times abstract – picture of the country’s socio-political fabric at the time.
‘Tehelka’ (2016)
Another outcome of Naezy’s collaborative stint with Sez On The Beat, ‘Tehelka’ saw the Kurla rapper switch his style, showcasing a technical command over speed, accuracy and flow that had been missing from his work till that time. ‘Tehelka’ was a precursor to the rise of a subsection of desi hip-hop artists that almost entirely focussed on technical proficiency – relying mainly on the speed and clarity of their punch lines to impress easily impressionable fans.