ARTISTE VINEET NAIR aka Poetik Justis’ new album is a message of hope and comes at a much- needed time. Titled Green Heart Astronaut, it was written during the pandemic and questions the mysteries of life and our place in the universe, from a scientific point of view.
“I have been rapping from an early age and have worked towards uplifting the hip-hop community in India. My style of rap lays emphasis on the lyrics and a more poetic approach to songs, and that’s what sets me apart from other rappers,” he tells us.
Ever since his childhood, Vineet has been a fan of space and science. He loves to watch documentaries on the subject and keep abreast of what’s happening in the field. “This is an interest that has stayed with me through the years, and this album was the outlet for me to express my thoughts using poetry. Through the album, you will hear lines and phrases that reference space, science and science fiction as well. Overall, the album is an ode to the universe,” he adds. During the lockdown, lectures by Carl Sagan, Neil Degrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins kept Vineet engaged and that’s what inspired this album.
Some of the stand-out songs on the album are Conversations With God, Roses, Breathe and the title track Green Heart Astronaut. “The name came to me while in the middle of my writing process. The ‘green heart’ in the title represents a form of collective hope, which is a major theme in the album,” the rapper tells us. Vineet’s favourite track is Sau Kadam Upar. “This is unlike any other song I have written before. It definitely stands out for me because it brings the entire album together,” he adds. The album features art by Shubhankar Rai and also has a comic strip written and illustrated by Dikshant Kumar.
The artwork depicts an astronaut picking up a rose and this is the visual representation of human achieve-
ment in the context of nature, Vineet explains. The whole album has been recorded on a home studio setup. While gigs seem to be out of the question again for some time, Vineet is not slowing down. He is already working on another album titled Kala Pani.
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