Nawab Gang’s journey to silver screen and beyond

The Telugu band held the door for other independent rap artists and today, this gang of seven rappers enjoys popularity not only at city pubs and cafés, but also on the silver screen.

Hyderabad: Exploring the nascent hip-hop scene in Hyderabad, Nawab Gang stood out as one of the first groups to make their mark in regional rap.

The Telugu band held the door for other independent rap artists and today, this gang of seven rappers enjoys popularity not only at city pubs and cafés, but also on the silver screen.

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It all began in 2019, with just three members – Pramod Roy aka Asura, Chaitanya Sorakayala aka MWaker, and Bharath Muppana aka Ricky B – sharing a common vision of using their rap as a platform to address socio-political issues. The band’s journey progressed rapidly with the inclusion of rappers Abhiskley aka Psychlone, Prasanna aka Notchfltr, Feroz Israel, and beat boxer Jayesh Jaiswal aka JBX.
“Initially we used to drop four originals in a month and within four months we have landed an opportunity to provide two songs for Tharun Bhascker’s ‘Meeku Mathrame Cheptha’, and a couple of other films,” recalls Asura.

The band finds joy rapping in Telugu, he says, as they feel it not only allows them to convey emotions more effectively but also honours the language and culture.

Nawab Gang raps primarily revolve around sociopolitical issues, conscious rap, and emphasis on celebrating life. Explaining that every individual in the team has their own style of lyric writing, Asura says, “we mostly draw inspiration from daily life conversations with people, understanding local slangs, and reading loads of Telugu literature.”

As the band grew, the individuals eventually started discovering their own voices. While the band collaborates on their collective album, it also provides a platform for each artist to shine individually under the ‘Nawab Gang’ sound.

When it comes to the rap scene in Hyderabad, Asura believes that it will take time to reach the level of success seen in the Bombay rap scene. “We’ve come a long way now and I’m excited to see where it’s going. I urge people to provide opportunities for independent artists rather than relying on cover bands,” he says.

Nawab Gang is currently working on a new project called ‘Nawabs with Attitudes’ which is scheduled to be released in January next year. They also plan to introduce Telugu rap to more people through flash gigs in different clubs around Hyderabad. Additionally, the band is all excited to perform at Chiranjeevi’s ‘Bhola Shankar’ pre-release next month.