He’s the star of Indian hip- hop and he is now hopping high with the new single Baby marvake maanegi. He hopped into town for ‘Raftaar Live at Tantra, in association with MTV Bollyland’, and hours before the show, t2 caught up with the 28-year-old rapper on music, Calcutta, competition and more.
First things first, why the name Raftaar?
That’s the first name I could think of, and that means it was my quickest thought. Plus, if you see my Facebook live, or interviews, I am always made to do impromptu stuff. Even in studios if we make music, I listen to a beat, it just takes me 10 minutes to write over it or to come up with an idea. I am, like, move this from here to there, do this, do that… my brain is constantly moving.... So Raftaar has been there ever since. It’s been so unique that people have also accepted it.
My real name is Dilin Nair, imagine... ‘Dilin Nair presents Swag mera desi hai’... it just doesn’t gel, right?! So yeah... Raftaar! (Chuckles)
So, at what age did you know that music was your thing, and how did you learn?
At home I would come up with compositions and I had no idea what to do with them. Randomly I would freestyle. My dad would only listen to Michael Jackson and random pop songs. He had no idea what they were saying as he does not speak English. I would mimic stuff that I saw on TV and that is how my voice modulation came in. In the 10th grade I heard an Eminem CD and it had Linkin Park on it and it had stuff like Numb and Slim Shady. It was so cool. I’ve received no official training. But I have learnt from the biggest university in the world.. (smiles) it’s called YouTube and it’s free!
From Shera di kaum to Baby marvake maanegi, what has the journey been like?
Shera di kaum is Manj’s song actually, what I did was a remix. I was a fan of RDB before, and they mentored me... by ‘they’ I mean mostly Manj Musik... I am still with him. When I heard Shera di kaum Punjabi I was like, this is one of those anthem hip-hop songs that India deserves and India wasn’t doing it. I wish if Ludacris was on it and I was on it, I would have killed it because people would have understood. That was how I ended up doing the remix and that is my opening for every show that I do. And it just throws out that energy that says — At the top, never go down, Shera di kaum Punjabi....
And from then to Baby marvake maanegi.. the journey of being with Manj has been incredible. He did everything for me, he put me on shows. Ankit (manager) has been a constant support.... Then one day Manj finally says, ‘I want you to do your thing, I want you to go solo, I want you to do something on your own....’ Till now if you scan my catalogue, I have only done featurings. I am an artiste who has made it just by appearing on other people’s songs and not doing anything on my own. So that I guess is a big thing for me because it is not easy.
So 2017 is your year?
I am going to try and stay for as long as I can. Competition is bad in the market. The talent is getting younger, it’s the access to social media, it’s the access to content, the access to learning material, we didn’t have that. So you have to play double furious... as in you have to protect your ground and you have to stay above them as well
So what did you learn from this journey?
That I have something in me that can make me stick. So it’s about time I go solo!
Last year was totally your year with Dhaakad and Toh dishoom…
No man, I think last year was telling me... about time you shine! Last year I felt the stroke and this year is the year when I am releasing my stuff.
Is your practice routine very strict?
Wow! Na na na.. we do not practise at all. That’s the bad thing, our practise is on stage. We in the studio are so involved in the music, we keep grooving to it... we mostly are making music for ourselves. We are arranging it, producing it, we know the sounds we want to put in and we’ve heard the vocal so many times that by the end of the day, it becomes muscle memory, like how you don’t need practice to brush your teeth.
Badshah was in town sometime ago, we asked him about Dhaakad and he said it’s something only Raftaar could have done. So what is the one thing that Badshah can do and you cannot?
He’s that laid-back artiste. I cannot be laid-back. Me and Badshah, we’re very tight, we’re friends. Everybody knows that now! He is that guy who’s relaxed in life. I am that guy who is out there, giving out messages. Social is not his thing, he does not do it much. It’s my thing, I was always the person to raise question and he’s more chill. It works very nicely, because we are two segments of the same genre and people love us for who we are.
We hear you’re coming up with something new with Shirley Setia. Tell us more...
Wow! How did that news reach you? Haha! So it’s just being spoken of. I met Shirley at my manager’s birthday, we were chilling. She’s a very sweet kid. Earlier I had worked with her on this Hollywood movie, Passengers, even though we never got to meet. I had a few songs that needed a female artiste and my manager suggested Shirley. She’s a sensation, man!
There are a whole lot of Punjabi artistes on the scene now....
The funny part is I am not a Punjabi singer! I get away with it because I do Bollywood, I do Punjabi, I do regional languages. I have done a song for Dev’s upcoming movie.
Snapchat or Instagram?
Instagram.
Fave food?
I love Mughlai! I am mad about it. But when I am home I love my mom’s dosa with laal chutney.
Calcutta food fave?
Arsalan! I had it today as well. I am on a diet but today is cheat day and we are in Calcutta so I could never miss Arsalan biryani.
A holiday destination you’re never tired of?
Goa! I do not go to the cliched Goa, I don’t go to … naam bhi nahin yaad aa raha.. Anjuna and all. I go to the Goa that most people don’t go to. It’s calm and way more peaceful. Morjim is my favourite, I love going there.
A city you love performing in?
Delhi! Any day of the week. Delhi, Noida, NCR and places are like home ground. We have had such crazy experiences there. Crowds of 15,000 to 25,000....
Yes, we have been waiting to ask you about it. How was it working with Dev on Chaamp?
Dev is right here as we speak. That explains that it is not just business and we are really tight now. I had no mic with me when he called me with the idea, so I recorded on the laptop’s mic and what I sent back to him, he really loved it. He was like, ‘Bro this is the anthem I was looking for’. Normally actors do not say ‘yes’ because everybody wants to act pricey, but it was really nice of him to say that he liked it in one shot because the kind of movie he did is very much my kind of thing. Badshah wouldn’t do something like Dhaakad because he is not that badass person, he is the king guy and I am like warrior guy! I am like the Alexander kind of a king, he’s more like Kublai Khan who sits and gets things done.
This is my second in Bengali music, but the biggest. For the Chaamp song, I am the music director, I am the composer as well as the lyricist. The best part is that I made Dev sing, I was like I am going to make you sing and you will be able to and it was a fun process.
What are your upcoming movie projects?
Jaanu meri jaan from Behen Hogi Teri. I just released the song Sadda move from the movie Raabta. Then Chaamp is coming up. My own album is already out there and now we shall keep dropping songs continuously.
Any plans of joining the movies?
I would love to do a Malayalam movie. My mom’s wish. I am a Mallu. My name is Dilin Nair, I hail from Kerala. I am doing Punjabi music and surviving better than Punjabis. Haha!
How is the whole Calcutta experience for you?
This isn’t my first time in Calcutta. I have performed here before even though this is my first proper club gig. It’s always great to be back.
Any international singer that you’d love to collaborate with?
The Game! Tattooed on my hand. I’ve always wanted to collaborate with them. It’s a dream. I want to do it for myself.
Any Holly rapper you’re a huge fan of?
The Game! There are many. There’s Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Lupe Fiasco. That is our textbook. They’re our reference material because these guys are evolving really fast. We are still catching up. I think we are doing a good job now.
What is your message for people who look down on Hindi rapping?
Flow antarrashtriya, swag mera desi hai! See what I made out of Hindi. Makke ki roti and sarson da swag! (Laughs)
You constantly keep changing your hairstyle. How do you manage to pull off each one?
Haha! Nothing man, it’s just that I have no other choice but to make it look like it counts. I think I am at an age and at a position that whatever I do, becomes a thing. I can risk it. My life now is all about planting something that I can go back to. My life is all about constant nostalgia.
Zeba Akhtar
Raftaar is number one because.... Tell t2@abp.in
