In the age of singles, Samir Rishu Mohanty aka rapper Big Deal drops his debut album. Willing to take the risk, the Odia rapper says, “There's a lot at stake because chances are that many of my songs might not get heard in an album but I am willing to take the risk. I know it's the era of singles but an artiste is complete only when he drops an album.” Continuing he intones, “Besides, there's a different sense of joy in dropping an entire body of work that speaks for itself rather than a bunch of singles released over years.”
The nine-track ensemble is dominantly autobiographical and is a collaboration with ace songsters Sunidhi Chauhan, Zonunmawia Fanai and Kuldeep Pattanaik. Samir, who is among the first generation of rappers in India has been planning this album for over two years. “Collaboration is the key to moving forward, progressing and revolutionising the music industry. I loved collaborating with all of them because they taught me so much and I got a glimpse of their world through this,” offers Samir who has been influenced largely by avant-garde rappers like Eminem, Kanye West and J Cole.
The album is a lyrical outlet of Samir’s collective emotions. While the eponymous number and Mere Jaisa is more about him, an upbeat Puri Toka and Kalia puts focus on his home state and brings forth the culture of the region beautifully in the music videos. Moving beyond self-reflection and projection, Samir touches upon the topic of racism with a thought-provoking number, I’m Chinkey. “I've been called Chinkey my entire life whether it is in small towns or in big cities, by strangers or by friends. I've been quiet about it at times and I've had fights as well,” enthuses Samir whose other songs include Indian Sound, Saina, Not Gully, But Real and SRK Flow.
In terms of music, the album stays true to its roots and melds hip-hop beats with Indian elements. Notes of tumbi, sitar, flute, bansuri, shehnai, sarangi, tabla and dhol elevate the entire composition of the highly catchy songs, giving them a unique memo.
Samir emphasises that he is not trying to fit into the existing hip-hop movement rather he is creating his own wave. “From my music production to the themes I speak about and just being genuinely this guy who's not from the underbelly of Delhi or Mumbai, but still has an intriguing story to tell,” enthuses Samir who is exploring new soundscapes and working on an EP scheduled to be released later this year.