Rapping up two years

Encore ABJ of Seedhe Maut performs at an Azadi Records showcase. (Right) Rodney P

Ever wondered what it would be like to listen to a live hip-hop gig during peak hours inside a Virar fast? Well, that's pretty much what we felt like when we attended Azadi Records' first-anniversary showcase concert in Mumbai last May. After waiting outside the Khar venue for 20 minutes since entry had been temporarily blocked, we entered to find the place packed to the brim. There was hardly any space to move, forget about dancing with gay abandon. But people still seemed to be having a great time, as the artistes on the independent label's roster performed 15 to 20-minute sets one by one to a thunderous response.

That sort of frenzy is expected this time as well since, co-founder Mo Joshi informs, tickets for their second anniversary gig this weekend are already almost sold out. The format of the event, however, will be different this time. "Imagine it as an Azadi Records playlist on a streaming website being performed live. What we have done is compiled a 90-minute set that involves 25 tracks from our roster being played in such a way that the crowd doesn't know which artiste is going to come on stage next," Joshi says.

He adds that outside of regulars like Prabh Deep, Siri, Seedhe Maut and Tienas, he's also roped in Rodney P and DJ Daddy Skitz, who are both legends in the British hip-hop circuit. "They are fairly unknown in India, but their contribution to the UK scene is unquantifiable. And in turn, Rodney is lauded by every single grime artiste because they know that he was the first British MC to rap in a London accent. When you look at the mid-80s and the hip-hop explosion that took place then, everyone in England was rapping with an American accent. But Rodney brought that London twang into bars and revolutionised the scene," Joshi tells us, adding that the duo will play a set in between the afore-mentioned live playlist. And if that sounds like your cup of tea, then book tickets immediately since they are selling out like hot cakes.

On May 11, 8 pm onwards AT Khar Social, Rohan Plaza, 5th Road, Ram Krishna Nagar, Khar West.
Call 75063 94243
Log on to theticketfairy.com
Entry Rs 300 onwards

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