Here comes  the beat

The phenomenal success of Gully Boy has brought the Indian underground hip-hop scene in the limelight. Quite a few of them have been featured or have contributed in some way to the tracks in the film. Among them is Chandrashekhar Kunder— known as Chandu to his friends and Major C to his fans. Setting the tone for the film, which introduces audiences to a form of hip-hop that bypasses the mainstream version, and goes beyond talking about partying, alcohol, money, cars and so on, the first rap performance Sher Aaya Sher was composed and produced by Major C, with lyrics by Divine. 
 
The veteran DJ from Kurla, Mumbai, started his career in the mid-90s. Then after meeting the right people who inspired him to take up and explore hip-hop, Major C joined the independent scene. He became a member of Bombay Bassment, a hip-hop and reggae outfit after becoming friends with the frontman, Mumbai-based Kenyan rapper Bob Omulo. And he is also a part of the electro-pop group Laxmi Bomb. 

His track Sher Aaya Sher calls out bullies and misogynists, and will have you feeling a strong sense of empowerment. And the artist is all set to perform at the Good Vibes Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival  in the city this weekend. Here’s chatting him up:

Tell us more about your performance at the Good Vibes Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival?
I only focus on performing good music, for good vibes my presence is enough. My fans love my music and I will continue to deliver the same. I want to say a big thank you and give blessings to my fans.

From your perspective, how was the hip-hop scene back in the ’90s? What piqued your interest in the genre?
Back in the ’90s when hip-hop started in cities, of course the scene was not as good as it has become now due to sheer exposure (from the internet). Because of lack of connectivity to internet my only source for hip-hop was through music companies like Universal Music, Sony Music and the likes. Back in the day, pop and hip-hop artists used to release singles and music companies would give us one CD which had one song, be it a capella, instrumental, a radio edit or the full track. But this has been discontinued now. 

I got interested in hip-hop when I started listening to instrumentals and artists like KRS-One, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Ice Cube, Naughty by Nature, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac (Tupac) and many more.

What kind of an influence did Bobkat (from Bombay Bassment) have on your music? And who else has inspired you to make a career in hip-hop?
We’ve been friends for many years now. The real connection happened when we started deejaying together. I used to drop the instrumental track and he would spit his rhymes. We started writing music together for Bombay Bassment and Quest Connection.

What was your reaction when you heard that a film was being made on the underground hip-hop scene in Mumbai? What difference (if at all) has the film made towards the underground hip-hop scene now?
First of all, I was excited and what came to my mind is that I have to contribute something from my side since I have been a part of this scene for many years now. So thanks to Divine for giving me this opportunity to collaborate with him on the track Sher Aaya Sher. For sure, the film Gully Boy has opened up a world of opportunities for Indian rappers and the whole rap scene in India. I hope the excitement lives on from here.

Your song Sher Aaya Sher boldly calls out misogynists (MCPs) and their disgraceful mentality. Do you think the very ‘woke’ social environment now is the cause for more and more people to listen to such material?
Absolutely this is cause of the new ‘woke’ environment and also where I come from, I have always been taught to respect women.

After the movie Gully Boy, have more opportunities opened up for Indian rappers to sustain themselves and earn enough revenue from their craft? 
Yes, I definitely feel there will be a boost for the Indian rappers. However, it totally depends if it sustains amongst  the Indian audiences. 

What are your future plans?
To continue producing good music for sure. I also want to collaborate with Indian rappers, various artists and musicians. 

ST Reader Service
Good Vibes Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival is going to be held at Royal Palms, Koregaon Park, on March 9-10, 12 noon onwards