“Kidderpore Basti, maare zabardasti,
Kisise bhi dare nahi,
Koi bhi ho hasti.”
Indeed, as an area, Kidderpore in Kolkata has a reputation for striking terror in people’s hearts, whoever they are.
But it was this song by rapper Minaj Khan that turned this trait of Kidderpore into a 1.7-million-view viral sensation.
Move over Mumbai Gully Rap, because Kolkata is now developing its own breed of Para (locality) rappers.
The Quint met with four such rappers from the city:
- Menaj Ahmed aka Minaj Khan
- Rajsikha Kori aka Femcee Frosty
- Prashant Jha aka Kat Junior
- Mohd Huzaifa Reza aka Awessum Frankie
Most of them rap about their respective localities and where they have grown up. The things that make their para what it is and how it is different from other localities.
Their rap names too are inspired by their lives or their personalities. Like Femcee means Female Emcee and Frankie is for someone who is “very frank”.
They all have different inspirations that range from Honey Singh to Eminem. Some, like Frosty – the only female rapper in the mix – were also inspired by the general “rap” culture, their clothes, style of talking and everything else.
Despite the million views, most of them still continue having full-time jobs and rue the lack of exposure in a place like Kolkata where most don’t understand rap and funding is difficult to come by.
For many, there is also a social impediment – like Muslim families not allowing a career in music, or families in remote Bihar not seeing rap as a viable plan for the future.
However, for these musicians, rapping has become a part of their existence.
“No one even calls us by our real name anymore!” one of them chuckled. “It is who we are now and we want to continue this way for the rest of our lives”.
Watch this video to know their story!
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