India

Abstract

This article provides a brief overview of Hip Hop’s evolution in India. The first of two parts in the article trace the trajectory of Hip Hop and rap in India over the last three decades. The part that follows picks up on Smokey’s interview with Cardozo from this journal’s inaugural issue to discuss how Hip Hop in India has grown from mere imitation to innovation, to eventually become an industry in its own right. In doing this, we reflect on a simple question: will Indian Hip Hop ever go from being a native industry to evolving into a lasting subgenre of its own?