“Vivian Fernandes, better known by his stage name DIVINE, is among the standard-bearers for Indian hip-hop. He speaks to Rishita Roy Chowdhury about the formative influence American rappers had on him, his association with Bollywood for the recent film Gully Boy, and how street life in Mumbai still inspires him to rap.
Rapper DIVINE has spearheaded India’s homegrown rap scene with his hugely popular songs, which have clocked millions of hits on YouTube and have now crossed over from being underground anthems to becoming mainstream hits, thanks to Zoya Akhtar’s latest film Gully Boy. Born Vivian Fernandes, DIVINE’s rap compositions are inspired by and are a tribute to life in Mumbai, the city he has always lived in. He uses rap as a form of political rebellion—a tool to highlight social issues. Having been at the forefront of the rap movement now called Gully Rap (after the title of one of his songs, “Meri Gully Mein”), DIVINE is the figure Gully Boy is largely focused on. But he doesn’t owe his popularity to this film. People took notice of his talent back in 2011, when his single Yeh Mera Bombay was released on YouTube. Over time, he became well-known in the local rap circuit. Then he became an online phenomenon. And today, with the kind of global recognition he now enjoys, he is seen as the poster boy of Indian hip-hop whose life has followed an exemplary rags-to-riches curve.
Q. You took rap out of the hands of the privileged and gave it back to the streets. How did you get interested in hip-hop?
A. I was born in Kurla, and grew up in Sahar with my family before my mother left for a job in the Middle East. I then moved in with my grandmother who lived in J.B. Nagar. My introduction to hip-hop was through a t-shirt. This friend of mine was wearing this shirt with a photo of 50 Cent [the American rapper] on it. I was curious so I asked him who that was, and he gave me this CD which had around 70-80 songs on it. I heard all the songs. “In Da Club” had just come out and 50 Cent was the rage. I thought it was the coolest thing I had heard. I started digging deeper. I would sit in cybercafes to learn as much as I could about hip-hop, and I realised that 50 Cent wasn’t even among the coolest. Tupac, Biggie, Nas, Eminem… I learnt all their songs. They wrote about the world around them. It wasn’t all pretty, much like my life.
Q. Your lyrics have established you as the “voice of the streets”. What is your mindset when you write your songs?
A. Whether you are a rickshaw wallahor a bus driver or a small-time businessman or a teacher, we are all at the mercy of the powers that be. We all experience corruption, petty politics, ups and downs in life. Hip-hop tells the story of the common man that resonates with so many people, especially the youth.
Q. Could you talk about the rap scene in India, especially in the context of Mumbai’s underground hip-hop culture?
A. Everyone has a platform today. The rap scene isn’t just me and Naezy [another Bombay rapper], but so many more rappers, b-boys and producers. Hip-hop speaks to everyone, irrespective of your postal code. That is hip-hop’s biggest strength, especially in a city like Mumbai where the richest and the poorest walk the same road.
Hip-hop gave my thoughts a voice. It gave me a way out. I didn’t want to end up like people in my neighbourhood. I wanted a better life for myself, and hip-hop gave me the hope, and the skills to do that.
Q. What kind of challenges have you come across in your career?
A. Loads! First, my family didn’t want me to take this up because they thought hip-hop was about booze, cars and women. But they understood what I was doing, and what hip-hop means to me. YouTube helped us generate attention and get an audience. In 2014, I released “Yeh Mera Bombay” which had lyrics in Hindi and English. And that song racked up like 100,000 views in a few months, and won me an award. That’s when I knew hip-hop was where I belonged.
Q. You started rapping in English and then switched to Hindi. What caused this shift?
A. I have always written my own rap but it never felt convincing till I switched to Hindi. It was only when I started writing in Hindi that I was able to translate my thoughts into words effortlessly—thoughts that fire onto the paper. And even my friends would say,“Yeh aag hai! (This is fire)” I rap in Hindi because it helps me reach a wider section of people, it makes my story and the listening experience more authentic.
Q. Your 2015 song “Meri Gully Mein” was unique in its evocation of life in Bombay. What inspired it?
A. I have seen life, poverty, helplessness, abuse, government apathy from close quarters. That’s the world I come from. In “Meri Gully Mein”, I wrote about what I saw around me. Life, living in Mumbai inspires me.
Q. Rap began in the United States as a form reflecting the struggles of marginalised lives. The underground rap scene in India, too, is aiming for that authenticity. Why do you think rap is an ideal medium for highlighting social issues?
A. Hip-hop doesn’t care about your postcode or what language you speak. We are all affected by corrupt governments, broken roads, strikes, bad education, poor healthcare. The Indian hip-hop scene is documenting the 21st century in a way that books do. And that’s what makes hip-hop so relevant for all of us.
Q. Who are your influences in music?
A. I have always looked up to artists like Big Pun, Big L., Rakim and KRS-One… They weren’t necessarily the most successful, but I found myself relating to their rhymes.
Q. How was your experience of working on Gully Boy? What were your expectations from the film?
A. Gully Boywas a major part of my life in 2018, and it has been an incredible experience, one that I will cherish forever. I, as such, have no expectation from the movie other than that it should help people understand what hip-hop is—that hip-hop can be just as artistic as writing poetry!
Q. Did you have concerns about associating with Bollywood? Many purists, for instance, criticised this mainstreaming of underground rap by the Hindi film industry.
A. When I was told that they wanted to make a movie about hip-hop, I wasn’t sure whether they would do the music any justice. But Zoya Akhtar made sure that the music was authentic, and true to its core. They have worked with a lot of rappers and producers from the scene.
Q. What would you advise aspiring rappers?
A. Be authentic, be original and you will get people’s attention.
Q. Tell us about your upcoming projects.
A. Right now it’s my debut album, Kohinoor, that has all my attention. And of course, my new venture, Gully Gang Entertainment. There is so much talent in this country, and I am so excited about working with them through this record label company.