Ask Roshan Adam Afzal if it is easy to be a rapper, and he will most certainly reply with an emphatic ‘No’. “Especially if you hail from South India, where rap features mostly in films,” he admits.
So why did a 20-year-old like him decide to take it up? It seems, multiple awards during school and winning the 2011 season of Vijay TV’s Aachi Sing, egged him to do so. Not surprisingly, “When I managed to successfully defend my Aachi Sing title the following year, I decided to post videos on YouTube of me rapping,” he says.
Fast forward six years, and the Chennai lad, under the stage name Jack’ Styles, has got recognition from Yogi B, a Tamil hip-hop veteran, and got his videos broadcasted on Gautham Vasudev Menon’s channel, Ondraaga Entertainment. He has also sung for regional movies (Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva and Hebbuli).
With songs themed on personal experiences, his upcoming debut album, The Genesis, is a packed one. “There are around 22 songs in the album, from which I have chosen 12 originals to sing in my upcoming Chennai performance at InKo Centre,” he says. His awareness of societal realities comes to the fore in his upcoming single titled, Suicidal Thoughts. He is also currently working with his producer Aakash Shravan to introduce sounds of morsing and conch shells. What next — a hip-hop chant?
As a part of the Access Music series, in association with Unwind Center. June 27. Details: 24361224