Meet Addy, a rapper from Pune with a diverse catalogue of multiple singles and projects, his artistic style helps him stand out from the bunch. His latest project, ‘Luv2Hate’ showcased Addy’s skills while curating projects with deeper meanings and other unique features that his musicality possesses. Read more to learn about his take on the English rap scene in India, his creative process, influences and future plans!
Tell us about your group “The Pune Collective.”
The Instagram page for TPC started in September of last year, when Instagram blocked my ad account and I needed to run ads to get organic promotion. Our first piece of content was a freestyle series which is very similar to the Studio Sessions done by Off The Dome. Then I just used what I learned in my music business degree about the perception of venues and/or companies changing when an artist is represented by a third party instead of representing themselves, and I started pitching for shows and events through the TPC page. Now TPC has a whole team in place that gets paid after every event and we also manage some artists who are my day ones.
Why do you practice rap in English? Has it always been this way?
So there are two primary reasons for it, one of which is more deeply rooted and has been addressed in an unreleased track named ‘Hind Freestyle’. That reason is, that my father, who is from Kerala, married my mother, who is from UP, while both of them were serving in the Indian Army. So anyone with basic knowledge of South Indian and North Indian cultures, as well as the Indian Army culture, can piece together that English was primarily spoken in my household before I was born. Apart from this my paternal grandfather and uncle who are from Kerala, also served in the Indian Army and my maternal Grandfather and uncle who are from UP, served in the Indian Air Force. So English was the common language for us to communicate.
The other reason is I fell in love with rap because of hearing Eminem rap in English and then hearing Bohemia rap in Punjabi. Punjabi is not spoken in my house but English is.
Do you feel there is a scope for building a substantial English rap scene in India?
I feel like there is a low market cap for English rap by Indian rappers in India, as of now. But if we can get the Indian audience to view English raps by Indian artists the same way they view English music by Western artists, then the scope will increase.
What were your influences when you started?
Eminem and Bohemia. Straight up. After that, I started dissecting what Wayne was saying and he became my GOAT. I’ve followed Cole, Kendrick and Drake from the very beginning of their careers so of course they’ve also been influences.
What is your Creative process like? How do you make your music?
So in my early days, I used to write everything. Now it’s a mix. If I’m rapping on a boom-bap, lyrical miracle-type beat, I’ll still type down my lyrics. If it’s a trap vibe, I’ll first figure out the flows by freestyling and then fill in the lyrics. If it’s a melodic vibe and I’m singing, then I’ll usually freestyle the whole thing.
Tell us about your latest EP ‘Luv2Hate’. What theme does it follow?
So I recorded this EP from my bed after I tore my ACL, and the late great Kobe Bryant inspires it. While recording it I had no plans on releasing it, as it was just a way for me to cope with the depression and anxiety that was creeping up on me, since I love basketball and performing on stage, two things I knew I wouldn’t be able to do for a while now. Then I shared it with my team and it was their reaction that made me release it immediately.
Tell us about your IP ‘Traphouse”. How do you bring the culture together?
Our city, Pune, has a powerful scene for Techno and obviously, Bollywood. When I got back from the US last year, I faced a lot of trouble in booking shows because they felt that Hip-Hop shows wouldn’t work at all. But I understand that for a venue, the priority is the footfall and the bar sales it generates. I also believed in the power of Hip-Hop in our city. So I somehow convinced a venue to give me a monthly event IP and promised them footfall, which I knew I could deliver with the correct marketing and promotion.
Today, The TrapHouse takes place at the Koregaon Park SOCIAL, one of the most exclusive and happening venues in our city, and by God’s grace, we have been packing it out every episode with real Hip-Hop heads. The most beautiful part about it is, that everyone who comes for the event, asks us multiple times when the next episode is before they leave.
Tell us about your plans. What do we get to see this year?
More shows, more music releases, more content, more everything. Making music is what I love the most, even more than making money from music. I’m also excited about rolling out the singles for my TPC boys AwwCa$h and prnv who are my day one YG’s and are extremely talented.
Listen to Addy’s latest track on Spotify:
