The Rise of Desi Hip-Hop

Hip-hop was once seen as something that only belonged to the streets of New York or Los Angeles. But over the past decade, India has made its own version of the culture—Desi Hip-Hop. What started as underground rap battles and homemade tracks slowly grew into a massive youth movement.

In the early 2000s, rappers like Baba Sehgal and Bohemia experimented with rap in Hindi and Punjabi. But the real explosion happened around the 2010s when the internet made it possible for local rappers to upload their work and connect with an audience. Social media, YouTube, and streaming platforms gave them a stage without needing big record labels.

The highlight of this rise was the story of the “gully rappers”—young artists from Mumbai’s streets who turned their struggles into music. Their raw lyrics about poverty, class divide, and survival gave Indian rap its own identity. Songs weren’t just about beats and rhymes, they were about reality.

Today, Desi Hip-Hop has broken into the mainstream. From underground cyphers to Bollywood movies like Gully Boy, the genre now has millions of fans. What makes it special is how it blends Indian languages, culture, and rhythms with global hip-hop sounds, creating something unique and truly desi.