While he agrees that he takes ‘certain lyrical liberties for entertainment’, rapper Badshah says his music comes ‘from a place of responsibility and respect’ for women.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that hip-hop is among the most celebrated genres in India today. Being one of the pioneers of the music form in the country, Badshah feels there should be more gender parity in it. Talking about the male-dominated hip-hop space, the rapper shares, “I am proud of the progression and inclusivity that is being witnessed within the hip-hop industry. We need to get rid of the ‘boys’ club’ tag. Men and women [artistes] should get the same kind of respect. I’m happy to see women advocating for themselves today. I think this generation is more courageous and they know exactly what they want and how they can get it.”
While a lot of hip-hop numbers objectify women, the rapper doesn’t subscribe to that: “I don’t approve of music that glorifies objectification of women. I have female family members at home and my music comes from a place of responsibility and respect.” But what about some of his tracks that have such lyrics too? “I am a lot like you, like a journalist. I just tell people what I see, through my music. I do take certain lyrical liberties for entertainment, as eventually, art is about freedom,” he responds.
Badshah recently released a single, Gone Girl, to mark hip-hop’s golden anniversary. “In the song, I have sampled my old-school signature soundscape. Aditya (Aditya Singh Sisodia; his real name) transformed into Badshah because he earned audience’s appreciation with the same soundscape. This is my way of celebrating 50 years of hip-hop,” says the rapper, who believes that social media is an important tool for artistes today, in terms of being recognised or putting their work out there. “Social media is important for an artist’s trajectory. One needs to consume it to their advantage, but remember to not let social media consume you and assume that it is the end game. If you’re able to put your best foot forward each time consistently, you don’t have to worry about discovery, you will get discovered. Period.”
