Brodha V
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Fans of rapper Brodha V are thrilled with his latest release, ‘Hengaithe Maige,’ a Kannada single. In a typical Brodha V take, the song is not about sizing up someone, in the way the phrase is usually used.
“It is a fun, quirky number. My spin on it is “live and let live” as anyway, one party is always going to be bigger than the other,” says the singer-songwriter based out of Bengaluru.
Shot in and around the city, in ‘Hengaithe Maige,’ Brodha V is accompanied by some popular faces such as stand up Danish Sait, rapper Rahul Dit-O and others, who call Bengaluru their home.
Uncharted territory
While rap is an accepted genre today with sub groups that are constantly evolving, when Brodha entered the scene around 17 years ago, “it was a tiny independent scene with a small community of artistes. We were one of the first batches of rappers in India at the time. It was quite a challenge to make people understand what rap music was and what was being spoken about through our work.”
“It took a couple of years to build our community and make our work entertaining enough for people to call us back for a live show or to get a gig,” he says, adding that cyphers played a large part in bringing together music lovers with similar tastes.
A cypher is a gathering of rappers who perform for themselves, showcasing their styles, explains Brodha. Today, cyphers include spectators who bring in a certain energy to the proceedings.
Cover art for ‘Hengaithe Maige’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“Gradually, we moved onto the internet platforms of the day — YouTube and Facebook. And as we grew, opportunities began to come our way too. All this helped in the growth of an audience.”
The artiste who raps in English and multiple Indian languages such as Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and Sanskrit, produces his own music with Carnatic and Hindustani influences. While he has no formal training in music, Brodha says he was always attracted to it. “I grew up listening to a lot of Michael Jackson and discovered rap in a rather uncharacteristic manner — through AR Rahman’s ‘Petta Rap’ one of the hit songs from the movie Kadhalan. I was around five or six years old when I first heard the song.”
“Still, I never thought of music as a career till I was in class 11 or 12 and I discovered that I had a passion for writing poems and short stories. Eventually, figured I could get lines to rhyme. Much like any teenager, music was my go-to or outlet to express myself and vent.”
Brodha says he began slow, by adding beats to popular songs. “I realised I could rap and that I have a sense of rhythm. I went to a studio to record my work and see if I had what it takes to be a good fit for this kind of music.”
Signature sound
Looking back at his journey, Brodha talks about his single ‘Aathma Raama’ which he released in 2012. “I had introduced Sanskrit and devotional elements of the shloka Aathma Raama into my piece. The song was about finding my path — I was speaking metaphorically about finding the right path and not going astray in today’s world — finding the maturity to do what is right for myself, for my growth and benefit. That it was never too late to change.”
The response was largely positive, supportive even, with listeners “happy that something like this could be done with rap music,” says Brodha.
“Up until then, Western music whether it was rap or rock, was more about how well Indians could imitate that sound. With ‘Aathma Raama’ came originality and people felt someone was making music they could relate to. It eventually became my sound.”
Recent work
In December 2024, Brodha V released ‘D.A.T.N’ (Dance Away The Night) with artiste Paal Dabba. The song, with lyrics in both Tamil and English, spanned the challenges to duo faced in their careers as musicians.
Brodha V with Paal Dabba
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“The single ‘D.A.T.N’ was a collaboration between me and Paal Dabba who is fairly new in the field. Our partnership developed organically and I felt I had to write about how with India on the global map, we Indians now have a bigger role to play. ‘D.A.T.N’ is about how our time is now and we are here to change the power dynamic of any room we walk into.”
‘Hengaithe Maige,’ is out on all streaming platforms
Published – March 03, 2025 10:11 am IST
