Rapper Shreyas Sagvekar on his new single Paapam and the future of Indian hip-hop

Mumbai-based singer and rapper Shreyas, who shot to fame with his breakout number Taambdi Chaamdi, a track that put Marathi rap on the map, has now joined forces with singer Aksomaniac for the new single, Paapam. Talking about how the collaboration came about, Shreyas shares, “I was lucky enough for Paapam to come to me as it is.

Aksomaniac had already made this beautiful song, and we just happened to come across each other’s music. After making the song, we found out about each other. He got to know that I exist, I got to know that he exists. So, we connected, of course, and then he asked me if I could do a verse on it. I loved the content and what we were talking about, it was pretty intense. So, I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do a verse.’ I finished it in about a month or two.”

Shreyas Sagvekar on Paapam, how music connects people, and Indian hip-hop

Ask him about the experience of working on Paapam, and he says, “Beautiful! I feel very lucky to be on this song because I think this is one of the best songs I’ve ever listened to or been a part of. Content-wise, it’s intense. Lyrics-wise, it’s intense. Sound-wise, it’s something different. I love the dancehall feel it has and a whole lot of other things. For me, it was a great learning experience. Aksomaniac is mad talented. He’s young, limitless when it comes to music, and does a lot of things.”

When asked about the origins of Shreyas’s Living Room, the intimate listening sessions he’s known for, he explains, “The idea started when, as an independent artiste, I didn’t have many venues available. So, I started doing personal listening sessions in my living room. It started with five people at one session. I wanted people to be a part of the process, not just the music, but everything I go through, my day-to-day. I also get to sit with them, talk about their day, what they do. It just helps me connect better.”

Shreyas says that music plays a huge role in connecting people across the world and making them happier. “That’s what music does for me. But rap as an art form carries a lot of social responsibilities. A rapper should be aware of what’s happening around them and be aware of their own truth. A rapper has a responsibility to make sure the world knows what’s going on and to speak about the things no one else is speaking about or the things people choose not to speak about, because of the consequences.”

Speaking about his musical relationship with fellow artiste Vedang Deshpande, with whom he collaborates often, he shares, “The thing that clicks between the two of us is that our upbringing is a little similar. We’re both Marathi, we’ve grown up on similar music, classical music. I used to play the peti and dholak as a kid, and he used to play the tabla. The songs we listened to are from similar zones, and the context around us is the same. Because of that, the way we connect to everything is very unmatched.”

He also mentions an unreleased track: “There’s a song of mine called Kuthe Kela. It’s also called Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick. That could be the most difficult song I’ve performed so far.”

Shreyas is quite optimistic about the future of Indian hip-hop. “Right now, Marathi hip-hop, and Indian hip-hop in general, is coming to the forefront. I love that. It’s going to be one of the biggest movements. I can’t wait for all of us—Marathi hip-hop, Hindi hip-hop, Malayalam hip-hop, Tamil hip-hop—to be out there, to represent India the way it actually is. No comparisons between each other. Everyone is just out there. That’s where I want to take Marathi hip-hop, from where it is standing right now.”

And, what are his upcoming projects? “I’m working on a song called Ghoshna with Vedang. And I’m going to drop a music video for the track I released recently called Rakkam.”

For more updates, join/follow our

https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb677uz60eBXiDYheb0n

https://t.me/+qUK5DvyQQJI2NWFl

https://www.youtube.com/indulgeexpress