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This Bengali folk rap spotlights the working-class narrative

'Rongo Koro Na' features Ritaprabha Ray, Raju Das Baul and rapper Cizzy

Guitarist Ritaprabha Ray teamed up with folk singer Raju Das Baul and Kolkata rapper Cizzy for a new track titled Rongo Koro Na. The single sheds some perspective on the realities of the working class, especially on the sociopolitical forces and policies that caused some major challenges to the common man during the pandemic, 

The song’s pre-production was done remotely across Mumbai, Kolkata and Santiniketan. The music video was filmed at Santiniketan incorporating real faces from the local working-class communities. “Raju Das Baul is an old friend and collaborator. I felt he would be a nice representation of artists who have been working at a grass root level, whose livelihoods depend on performing for their listeners and who were among the worst affected in the pandemic. I also wanted an urban approach and I wanted to experiment with Bengali rap. I was fortunate enough to come across Cizzy and once I told him about the concept, he agreed to be a part of it and wrote a fiery verse on the track that I had made,” Ray tells us.

To know more about the city's emerging rap scene, click here.