The gully girls

CHENNAI: They can never beat you, but only tease you; They can never seize you, but you cease you,” echoed a 19-year-old rapper’s loud voice at an underground battle held recently in the city. Meet Deborrah Samantha Johnson who goes by the name Nejm on Instagram. Last year, she took part in Porkalam, an underground battle by Peace Hip-hop and The Internet Generation in Chennai, where she competed against 150 male hip-hop rappers. Her lyrics are dark, her speed is effortless and she’s unstoppable. 

In the cultural capital of the country, where women clad in pattu (silk) sari with fragrant mallis adorning their hair take to Carnatic music, shruti petti and veenai or violin over every other branch of music, rap is a bold and unusual attempt. But gems of this genre are hidden in several parts of Chennai and waiting to be discovered, polished and put on a pedestal.

To more battles
“I’m surprised that there aren’t many takers for rap among female artistes. I find solace in jamming with aspiring artistes who come from an underprivileged background, are like-minded and have pure passion for the art form. Like any other field, one needs to prove one’s worth here to stand apart,” says Deborrah, a Literature student at Madras Christian College by morning and a rapper by night. She took to rapping at the age of 16 to beat depression, anxiety and ADHD.

Writing has been a cathartic process. The budding rapper works part-time at an IELTS coaching centre to make her ends meet. She has penned five original songs but lacks the budget to release and promote them. “I do get to perform at shows occasionally. The audience would want me to rap the song of another artiste which isn’t easy in this genre. One cannot easily match the beat and breathing pace of another person. This often irks me. We all begin by emulating international rappers and eventually develop a style. You need constant practice and it isn’t an easy art that anybody can pull off,” shares Deborrah, who is the only female rapper active in the underground hip-hop scene in the city.

The struggle 
International hip-hop sensations like Nadia Rose, Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott have a huge fan-following globally and are inspirations to many rappers. That hasn’t been the case with desi rappers. The familiarity boils down to a handful of names like Raja Kumari, an American-Indian songwriter, and Lady Kash who has also lent her voice to Tamil film songs. 

Is there a dearth of mainstream female hip-hop rappers? “It’s hard for people to accept music as a full-time profession for women. That’s the first struggle we face. They’re often expected to be graceful and melodious. The minute something bold and trashy like hip-hop comes in, people cannot relate. It’s not considered feminine enough,” rues Sofia Ashraf over a phone call from Mumbai. Her Kodaikanal Won’t, a dig at Unilever in 2015, took the Internet by storm and left a lasting impression. “I used to be embarrassed about my accent in the initial days. I realised soon that when you have a native dialect and a plethora of content, why fear? Rapping has helped me re-discover myself, given an identity and confidence,” she says.  

Sofia’s hands are full with writing and directing music videos. She’s produced songs featuring lyrics on pollution, social causes and feminism. “I love evolving and experimenting with various styles. I’m currently working on spoken word poetry, a different form of rap, with visuals. I shot a few songs on celluloid films with other artistes at Serendipity Art Festival in Goa. If you need attention, then you need to go the extra mile or the audience will zone out,” shares Sofia, who started rapping a decade ago during her college days. Unconventional genre, orthodox family background — nothing stopped her daring attitude or her love for funky beats.

Not a wrap on rap
Earlier, MTV International used to be the first exposure youngsters had to hip-hop and rap. Today, youngsters have given it a spin with local lyrics and by highlighting important issues. The Bollywood film Gully Boy (2019) has been an eye-opener as it portrayed the art form in a dignified light. It has changed the perspective of the larger lot and motivated youngsters to approach the genre openly with more pride and respect. 

“Although songs give opportunities to rappers, there are not many female artistes. There are many hidden talents capable of composing original albums. The difference between a film and an independent rap is that the latter involves the fun of creating everything from scratch and gives a sense of ownership,” says Zoha Sanofer, a radio jockey and an aspiring hip-hop artiste, who loves to rap as a hobby. She’s uploaded rap for cover versions of film songs — like Highway (2014) — and also writes lyrics regularly. 

Self-identity, body shaming, stereotypes, environment and relationships — topics are aplenty. Female artistes find rapping to be liberating, a stress-buster and a way of self-expression. “With fewer examples to look up to, we don’t have idols or mentors. My parents don’t know that I rap and I’m sure they wouldn’t like it.

It’s not as welcomed as other genres and hence we do things secretly. We combine our flair for writing and passion for music to produce content that we think can speak for us. I’m trying to work on more Tamil lyrics so that it reaches the masses,” says Deborah Sharon, another rapper who hopes to make it big. “We also listen to Rock, R and B, Jazz, K-pop and hip-hop. Why should we restrict ourselves? More female rappers need to come out, put out their stuff and not shy away,” says Deborah with a glint of hope.