Mehak Ashraf, 17, is Kashmir’s first female rapper. Inspired by the music and struggles of Eminem, Mehak has given herself a stage name, “Menime” — Eminem spelled backwards.
When she was 12, she listened to Eminem’s songs and rapped to them. Learning from his vocabulary, his accent, his rapping style, she figured out a way around the rhymes and rhythms.
She is a class 12 student and was born in Kashmir. Mehak’s parents were not supportive of her choice to be a professional rapper and dhe faced resistance at home and outside.
Kashmir is a conservative society. Here, women have been confined to traditional roles. My family too opposed my decision to be a female rapper. But Eminem’s struggles inspired me. He was an orphan who grew up to become one of the world’s best rappers. Drawing inspiration from his life, I try to focus on the positives and keep moving forward.
“I didn’t give up on my passion and had faith in what I was pursuing. I wanted my parents to trust me and I made them understand that if a boy can rap, a girl like me can also rap in Kashmir,” she said.
Mehak says rap is a medium through which she can express her feelings and thoughts. It is a way to vent her feelings.
Rap is my way of expressing resistance, I have seen what conflict does to a place. Everybody has a duty to do something for their society. I chose this medium through which I can talk about the pain of the people and raise the voice of the voiceless in Kashmir.
She first got attention after releasing a freestyle video online under the label “AHM Dexterity”, which was found by Menime and her rapper friends. The label aims to push the hip-hop scene in the valley.
Amir Ame, the co-founder of the label, said, “We are creating a platform for the new artists, especially women, who need to be heard.”
Camera: Masrat Jan and Syed Amir
Producer: Vatsala Singh
Video editor: Ashish Maccune
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