42 Indian Rappers with Desi Hip-Hop Style You Should Know

Rap music has undeniably emerged as a popular genre in Indian Music. It has given birth to many new rappers in the country as a result of which we have many Indian rappers today. These Indian rappers have given brilliant hip hop rap songs to us.

The various rap genres like mumble rap, rap metal, lyrical rap, desi hip-hop are gaining popularity. As a result, more and more youngsters are entering into the rap world and creating new rap songs. Below is the list of top 42 insanely famous Indian Rappers, with their struggle journeys.

1. Dino James

Dino James is an Indian rapper, singer, composer, and YouTuber. He used to Rap in his unique style for which he is known for. Dino James was born in a village named Ghoradongri of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 12 November 1991. He is 28-year-old and currently living in Mumbai, India. He is also a song lyricist and uploads video songs on his youtube channel.

His songs are mostly based on real-life struggles. He started his career on his youtube channel with the song name “GIRLFRIEND“. Dino got more than 17+ Million views on his video and got a huge fan base with the help of that song.

He already collaborated with big music companies like one digital entertainment. Dino James has written many songs like Hancock, Kaalia, Yaadein, Unstoppable, Achi Maza Aayi, Thanks a lot, and many more. He is one of the most loved Indian rappers of his time.

2. Emiway Bantai

Emiway Bantai was born on 13 November 1995 (age 25 years) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. He was born as Bilal Shaikh in a middle-class orthodox Muslim Family. His family has roots in Karnataka. Later, he adopted the stage name “Emiway,” which is a combination of the names of Eminem and Lil Wayne, i.e., Emi from Eminem and Way from Wayne.

He did his schooling at LHS, Mumbai. Emiway was good at his studies till the 10th standard but shifted his focus towards rap when he reached his 11th class. He failed in the 12th standard and went through depression. It took a lot of effort for him to learn hip-hop music.

He made his debut with "Glint Lock" ft. Minta in 2013. In 2017, Emiway received his breakthrough with the song “#Sadak,” which was in collaboration with the rapper Raftaar.

3. Kaam Bhari

Kaam Bhari aka Kunal Pandagale, isae a famous rapper who had blasted the internet with his amazing raps. People are loving his songs. His popularity is rising every day. He has his style of rapping and he raps in Hindi. He got popular with the song "Kaam Bhari" which was added to the gully boy playlist.

4. Brodha V

Vighnesh Shivanand (born 27 March 1990), better known by his stage name Brodha V, is an Indian hip-hop artist, lyricist, rapper, and music producer. Born in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, the Bangalore-based artist started rapping at the age of 18 and took part in online rap battles on Orkut.

As an independent rap artist, Brodha V released a mixtape called Deathpunch which had a limited release and which garnered him some attention from the hip hop fraternity and the independent music circuit in South India.

5. Seedhe Maut

Seedhe Maut is a hip-hop duo from New Delhi, India. The duo's name is a slang which roughly translates to "straight death" connoting "giving it one's all". The group consists of Calm and Encore ABJ. They are currently signed to Azadi Records and are frequently collaborating with Sez on the Beat, Prabh Deep and Full Power.

6. Dee MC

25-year-old Deepa Unnikrishnan is a rebellious and feminist rapper, better known as Dee MC. Dee MC has been performing rap music for the last seven years. Her journey into rapping and hip-hop began at 19 when she developed an interest in writing lyrics.

“I like keeping the story-telling factor in all my songs, which gives a vivid imagination to the listener," she said in an interview. Her lyrics shed light on the issues that women in this country face, which comes from her personal experiences.

While living with her family in Kalyan, Dee MC struggled to leave her home late at night to perform at venues far from home. She has also faced discrimination in the industry, where she struggled to be taken seriously.

7. 7BantaiZ

7bantaiz, they started their crew at the age of 14 in 2014. They are a talented bunch consisting of Rappers, Beatboxers, Graffiti Artists and Actors. They are inspired by legends like 2Pac, Biggie Smalls, Eazy-, E, and Nas.

Their raps are a mixture of various languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and English. 7BantaiZ has Abhishek Kurame, Aditya Vhatkar, David Klyton, Nishant Mohite, Nitesh Patel, Siddhesh Jammi, Yogesh Kurme.

8. MC Altaf

MC Altaf, an 18-year old rapper from Dharavi in Mumbai has a song in Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy, out in 2019. He released his first music video on YouTube called Wassup! made in collaboration with New York rapper, Jay Killa. And his new best friend Ranveer Singh even has a cameo in it.

9. Spitfire

Spitfire aka Nitin Mishra, 20, Lyricist for ‘Asli Hip Hop’, wrote all the non-song raps for Ranveer’s character, appears incipherr and battle scenes. He is a powerhouse of rap and is a popular Indian rapper.

10. Khasi Bloodz

K-Bloodz comprises Donbok Kharkongor aka D-Bok, Ritik Roy Malngiang aka Big-Ri. Born and brought up in Shillong, Meba Ofilias style is rooted in Hip Hop and RnB. She started making waves in the Shillong indie circuit in 2016.

Her first collaboration with Khasi Bloodz on the song Don't Stop was what caught people's attention. Since then she's been the topic of many a conversation when it comes to artists in the music scene.

11. MC Manmeet Kaur

One of India's few female emcees who describes herself as a hip-hop artist, rapper, singer, and nomad. She has come a long way, starting as a bedroom rapper at 13 (as a reaction to her movements in an orthodox family being restricted), kitchen rapper at about 22 to being a name to reckon with, who has performed in six cities across Europe.

After an 11-track EP, Hip Hop Bahu, she dropped Neophilia. As of today, she is one of the best Indian rappers and you shouldn't miss listening to her raps.

12. Madurai Souljour

Madurai Souljour is one of the most loved Tamil language rap crew. But it was in 2007 when cousins and members, Syan and Nowsa, first discovered rapping, by listening to - and get inspired by - emerging Malaysian artist Yogi B. From jamming in tea shops and at the back of grounds to producing YouTube videos that have crossed 1 million views, they've sure come a long way.

13. Dopeadelicz

Dopeadelicz is an Indian musical group established in 2012 composed of Indian rappers Tony Sebastian, Agnel Avinash Benson, Rajesh Radhakrishnan, and music video director Jerome John aka GJ. Based in Mumbai, the group released a video on YouTube called "D Rise". They rap against corrupt cops and want marijuana consumption to be legal.

14. Krsna

Krishna Kaul, better known by the stage name Krsna (stylized as KR$NA), and formerly known as YoungProzpekt, is an Indian rapper and songwriter from New Delhi, India. He is one of the earliest rappers to emerge in the Indian Hip Hop scene in the mid-2000s under the stage name Prozpekt. He also featured in the 2019 Bollywood film Gully Boy as himself.

15. Raftaar

Dillin Nair also knows as Raftaar is a well-known Indian rapper. He had got massive popularity through his Album WTF(Witness The Future) and Swag Mera Desi Hai and through Desi Hip Hop by Manj Musik.

He is famous for his speed and flows in rapping and his latest work can be seen in the mega-hit song All Black. His latest song "Dhakaad '' from Dangal did amazing among the Indian audience.

16. Swadesi

The multi-lingual Mumbai-based crew is known for their narrative exploring the socio-political landscape of the country. This rap crew stays true to its name and chooses to rap in different Indian languages like Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, and Hindi.

Amongst their finest achievements stands their collaboration with Viveick Rajagopalan on the track “Ta Dhom,” which combines the elements of rap music with that of Konnakol: spoken syllables in traditional Indian music that represent rhythmic and percussive ideas.

17. Honey Singh

In one word, He is a trendsetter. Honey Singh’s real name is Hirdesh Singh. He had tied the knot with Shalini Singh in 2011. He has given so many hits like Brown Rang, Party All Night, Angreji Beat, Birthday Bash, and so on. He has been nominated for many awards including Zee Cine Awards 2014 for International Icon Male and had made his way to the top.

18. Bohemia

Whomsoever is a fan of desi music then it is impossible for you to haven’t heard about him. Bohemia. The real name is Roger David and he is a Pakistani American Rapper who released his first Punjabi rap album in 2002 named Vich Pardesan De. With a net worth of 3.5 Million Dollar he has won Best International Album at PTC Punjabi music awards for his album “Thousand thoughts”.

19. MC Prabh Deep

Prabh Deep is an MC from New Delhi, India. Gifted with a unique voice that contains traces of the traditional Punjabi folk singers, Prabh has been at the forefront of Delhi's hip-hop scene. Besides being a recording artist, he also pushes for and organizes MC Battles in the city.

Born and brought up in Tilak Nagar, Prabh's self-conscious music paints a vivid picture of growing up in a locality that's still reeling from the fallout of the 1984 riots, the recent influx of drugs and guns in the community, and his accounts of dealing with losing friends and loved ones.

20. Baadshah

Aditya Singh, also known under the stage name of Badshah, is an Indian rapper, music producer, and singer from Delhi. His music has been featured in Bollywood soundtracks for films such as the 2014 film Khoobsurat, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, and many more. His song DJ Wale Babu is a huge hit.

21. Pardhaan

Pardhaan is one of the most amazing rappers of India. He is the most lyrical rapper right now in the rap scene. The unique thing about Pardhaan is his ability to switch between goofy and serious raps. Just like Bohemia started Punjabi rap, Pardhaan started Haryanvi rap.

Yes, Pardhaan is the pioneer of Haryanvi Rap. If you listen to his songs you will feel how deep his roots go as a rapper from Haryana. You all must have listened to Pardhaan’s Songs ‘Gaadi’, ‘Haryana Roadways’,’ Aam Jehe Munde’ etc but how many of you know about his struggle story.

22. Sofia Ashraf

How about getting an endorsement of sorts by Nicki Minaj herself? That’s what happened when Sofia released her single, Kodaikanal Won’t, which took on a corporate giant asking it to clean up its mess created by mercury pollution in the Tamil Nadu city.

The song garnered 3.8 million views soon and Nicki tweeted about it as well. I Can’t Do Sexy is her take on unrealistic expectations people have of a woman’s appearance and The Kela Rap (from the short film Miyan Biwi Aur Banana) is about biodegradable sanitary pads.

What sets her apart are cheeky lyrics. While she does rap about issues related to women, for her, the future is not female but inclusive.

23. Hard Kaur

In a male dominant field, this British Indian rapper has surely made everyone felt her presence. Her song Ek glassy gained popularity in India and the UK as well. She has sung songs like Paisa phek, Talli ho gayi, Singh is King, and many more. Hard Kaur a.k.a Tarun Kaur Dhillon won Best Female Act in 2008 in UK Asian Music Awards.

24. The Quixotic

Shashwat Mishra better known for his rap battles, The Quixotic is very versatile and would never bore you. He started from Delhi back in the Orkut days and is now famous all over Youtube. He managed to make his place in the hearts of the audience and he manages to keep his work intact by creating something different all the time.

25. Smokey The Ghost

Sumukh Mysore is a 28-year-old rapper based out of Bangalore. In order to pursue his love for music, he left his government job as a biological scientist. He started as a part of a trio Machas with Attitude but later on the band split up. Presently, he is working as a solo independent artist and his YouTube channel has more than a thousand followers.

26. Mumbai's Finest

Mumbai’s Finest is the First Rap Crew from Mumbai, India. They are a Hip Hop collective and are the Pioneers of Rap and Hip Hop in Mumbai and India. They are also a Clothing line and a Record label.

They have been making music Independently since 2006 and have Won Multiple Awards, have Performed and Collaborated with AR Rahman, Salim- Sulaiman, Flo- Rida, Chamillionaire , Shaan, etc and are also the Best. Independent Rap and Hip Hop Crew in Mumbai and India.

27. Street Academics

Originating from Kerala, these are an alternative hip-hop group who fuses Tamil, Malayalam, and English languages. They aren't mainstream workers but emphasize philosophical themes and their raps include topics like religious discussions and eliminating violence.

Rev Ernesto (Pakarcha Vyadhi), Dr. Haris Saleem (Maapla), Amjad Nadeem (Azuran), Abhimanyu Raman (Earthgrime), Vivek Radhakrishnan (V3K), Arjjun (Imbachi), Sai Giridhar, and Pranav CH are the members of Street Academics.

28. Mann Musik

Manjeet Singh Ral (born 24 January 1985), better known by his stage-name Manj Musik, is a British Indian composer, singer, and Filmi scorer. He was one of the music composer for the bhangra music group RDB, which was formed with his two brothers Surjeet Singh (SurjRDB) and Kuldeep Ral in 2000. Manj Musik started his musical journey with the RDB group singing at their local gurudwara.

29. Brotha Hood

He is from Mumbai, Shanawaz Khan dropped his first album in 2016. However, he became insanely famous when he got into a rap battle with the famous Indian rapper Quixotic. His work is a bit different from the typical Indian rap and has a more chilled out, mellow vibe to it.

30. Enkore

Enkore aka Ankur Johar is known as one of the best and most well-rounded hip-hop artists to come out of India. One of the most consistent Indian artists, with music driven by honest emotions and social narrative, the Mumbai rapper has also gained a reputation for uniquely fusing English & amp; Hindi lyrics, delivering stellar live shows, and collaborating with artists across genres.

31. Deane Sequeria

Deane Sequeira born 28th September 1996 is an Indian RnB-Rapper from Mumbai. A rising star in the nascent Hip Hop, RnB- Rap scene, is considered India's youngest female RnB rapper. Regardless of being just Sixteen years old, her talent as a rapper, singer, songwriter, and composer has been precocious.

32. MC Mawali

Aklesh Sutar is MC Mawali, a revolutionary Marathi rapper who writes songs about his life, and the people he encounters. With strong views about the westernization of Indian culture, Mawali wants to stay true to his roots and tell the story of truly Indian Hip Hop. F

rom writing poems in the seventh grade to his first Hindi Rap in the ninth, MC Mawali has come along with his lyrical skills. Many consider him to be one of Mumbai's most revolutionary Marathi and Hindi rappers around.

He represents a crew called Swadesi and is the first rapper from Mumbai who Raps on Konnakol and took the Mumbai rap scene on another level lyrically and technically.

33. Dax Rapper

Esburn shakeil mcdahmer. (born March 22, 1994), known professionally as Dax, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Known for his freestyle remixes to hit rap songs, he rose to fame after the official music video of his song "Cash Me Outside" featuring Danielle Bregoli went viral. He released his debut extended play, It's Different Now, in August 2018.

34. Divine

Vivian Fernandes, better known by his stage name DIVINE, is an Indian rapper from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He started to gain popularity after the release of his song Yeh Mera Bombay (2013). He broke through with the release of his song Mere Gully Mein featuring fellow Mumbai rapper Naezy.

He was part of the hip hop crew called Mumbai's Finest. He often raps about his own life experiences, such as the life of the poor people in Mumbai and his upbringing with a single mother.

35. Mukkta

Mukkta K also known as Mukkta Karandikar is a YouTuber as well as an actress, model, rapper, and lyrics writer from Mumbai, India. She is famous for being a contestant on MTV Love School Season 4. She also became the first woman to collaborate with international artist Eclipse for "Thinking about you".

Mukkta has been constantly releasing original music and her fans are lapping up to it. She made the most of the lockdown by writing lyrics, composing music, and delivering tracks, giving her fans a musical treat.

36. Raja Kumari

Svetha Yallapragada Rao (born January 11, 1986), professionally known as Raja Kumari is an Indian-American rapper, songwriter, and singer from Claremont, California. Kumari is best known for her collaboration with notable artists including Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea, Fifth Harmony, Knife Party, Fall Out Boy.

She is also notable for receiving as a songwriter, the BMI Pop Awards in 2016, being nominated for a Grammy award in February 2015, and featuring on BBC Asian Network program Bobby Friction on July 5, 2016. She gave rap songs like Centuries, Change your life, Don't Run, Set me free, Kon hai to and so many.

37. Rowdy Rebel

Chad Marshall (born November 24, 1991), known professionally as Rowdy Rebel, is an American rapper from Brooklyn who is signed to GS9 and Epic Records. He is a member of the Brooklyn-based GS9 crew alongside fellow rapper, Bobby Shmurda.

Rowdy Rebel appeared in Shmurda's video for "Hot Nigga" and has been featured on an official remix of the song alongside Fabolous, Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, and Yo Gotti.

38. Fotty Seven

Ankit Gudwani, better known by the name Fotty Seven is a rapper from India known for his unique style of rapping, he was born in the year 1991 in Gurugram, Haryana, India. In the year 2009-2010 when he was in his 12th Standard, his friends from the same class use to rap and Ankit use to dislike rap but later he started listening to John Cena, 50 cents, and Eminem but he was mostly influenced by Eminem.

Fotty Seven likes telling stories and he was so inspired by these rappers that he started rapping. His first Hindi RAP song was Papa which was released in the year 2017 and has more than 1.6 M views and later on, he started rapping only in Hindi and he also released some Spoken Word about what our society is facing. In his career, he got supported by his family and his girlfriend Tenzin who do his editing and videos.

39. Bali

Bali is an Indian rapper who was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His family was Indian. His family migrated to England afterwards and finally to India. He was one of the major reasons why rap was introduced in India. One of his most popular songs is “Kem Che, Kem Che”. He had more hits like “Aamchi Mumbai” and “Amma Dekh”.

He is a very enthusiastic playback singer; however, his performances at concerts are memorable and appealing.

40. Karma

K.A.R.MA. The “Dehradun ka ladka”, with his immense talent, started his journey when he was working with a call centre in Delhi. While his parents were happy that he was at least doing something with life, he was never satisfied with it. He started writing poetry and singing it with a flow, which eventually led from one thing to another and he got a song with Zee Music.

His real name is Vivek Arora, and he still stutters when he speaks. Can you imagine someone who stammers when he speaks, can rap so well, so fluently, so fast, with such meaningful lyrics? I know he's brilliant at work.

41. Naezy The Ba

Naezy The Ba is an Indian rapper and hip hop artist who has made a special place for himself in the music industry. Many know him because of Gully Boy and the famous “Mere gully mein” with Divine, but little do people know that while his hustle in Khalsa College, Mumbai, he used to record and upload videos from an iPhone that one of his friends owned.

His song “Aafat” explains what comprises the city of dreams, Mumbai, which can also be heard in one of his other songs “Asal Hustle”.

42. MC Stan

It is astonishing how the “Alien ki shakal wale”, as was called by Emiway Bantai when he dissed this Pune Rapper MC Stan, has made it in Music. His real name is Altaf Raja and many people didn’t even understand the genre this Indian rapper was into until they listened to his “Wata”, which has gotten a whopping 15 million views on Youtube.

His most popular video is Astaghfirullah, where he apologizes to his mother for all his bad deeds in his life. Agree or not, he is going to be a famous hip hop artist in the future.

So these were some journeys of Indian Rappers chasing their dream. Remember – not only do dreams come true, but dreams find a way to you, much before you even dream about it. Keep dreaming, but if you don’t have a dream, just have faith in your journey.

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