For rap artiste Farhan Khan, music has never been about staying within the boundaries of a single genre. Drawing from Urdu poetry, qawwali, old Hindi cinema and hip-hop — he has built a sound that reflects his upbringing while also making room for contemporary influences. He also recently released Jaan-E-Jaan alongside Aditya Rikhari. Now part of Believe India’s newly launched imprint BL/UR, Farhan speaks about creative independence, the changing landscape of Indian independent music and his journey towards finding an identity of his own.
What drew you to BL/UR and what does this new imprint represent for you as an artiste?
BL/UR’s core idea drew me in: artistes shouldn’t be confined to a single box. I bring Urdu poetry, hip-hop, qawwali, old Hindi cinema and personal experiences together and the imprint gives me freedom to explore these influences while remaining true to myself.
Your music brings together qawwali, hip-hop and other contemporary sounds. Where does this instinct come from?
I don’t think of it as blending; these sounds have always existed together in my head. My father wrote poetry and his poet friends often visited our home, so I grew up around mehfils, shayari, qawwali, old Hindi music and cinema. Later, hip-hop became another language through which I could express myself. Qawwali and rap share metaphor, wordplay, storytelling and emotional intensity. Bringing that feeling into hip-hop feels like two parts of my musical upbringing meeting.
How do you bring traditional Indian influences into a modern sound without losing their essence?
It begins with respect. I don’t want to use something traditional simply because it sounds Indian; I want to understand its origins, emotions and personal meaning. With Alif Laila, I wasn’t trying to recreate the past, but bring the world I grew up around into the present. Nostalgia, silences and poetry became part of a contemporary hip-hop universe. You preserve something’s essence by making it personal rather than treating it like a costume.
Is Indian independent music entering a phase where artistes feel less pressure to fit a particular genre or language?
Absolutely. Audiences have evolved alongside ar tistes. Listeners move between Punjabi music, hip-hop, indie pop, electronic music and qawwali in one playlist. Artistes can follow the story, whether it calls for qawwali, a guitar or rap. Language is becoming more fluid, too. If what you’re saying is powerful, people can feel it. I’ve experienced that through Urdu.
What has changed most about India’s independent music scene since you started?
Independent artistes can build their own worlds through music, visuals, videos, online communities and live shows, without waiting for the traditional industry to validate them. Audiences may discover them through a reel, performance or a single lyric. Independent music is about more than existing outside the mainstream; it’s about having the freedom to create your own world.
How does your music fit BL/UR’s vision of bringing Indian and global sounds together?
I want to make something deeply personal universal. My music draws on Urdu poetry, Mumbai, Agra, qawwali, old Hindi cinema, hip-hop, love and heartbreak. Emotions don’t need translation. I don’t want to remove the Indianness from my music to make it global; I want to present what’s uniquely mine in a way people anywhere can connect with. If someone who doesn’t understand every word of Urdu can still feel a song’s heartbreak, I’ve done something meaningful.
What can an imprint like BL/UR offer independent artistes that the mainstream industry may not?
The most important thing is space to experiment, take risks and build an identity over time. Artistes shouldn’t have to change whenever something doesn’t fit a commercial template. BL/UR brings artistes with different musical identities together without expecting them to sound alike. That creative freedom, alongside a music company’s infrastructure and reach, can help artistes build something lasting.
What do you want listeners to understand about you through your current music?
I’m not trying to fit anyone’s idea of what a rapper should be. I’ve spent a lot of time discovering what’s truly mine: the poetry, clothes, music, characters and storytelling. Alif Laila (his two-part conceptual music project) showed me I could bring what I’ve carried since childhood into hip-hop without apologising for it. I’m still discovering myself. I don’t want to repeat a record simply because the last one worked. I want every chapter to have its own world, emotion and character. If listeners feel there’s a real person behind my music — preserving where he comes from while discovering where he’s going — that’s what matters most.
Jaan-E-Jaan is streaming on all audio platforms.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.