The COVID-19 lockdown brought the entertainment industry almost to a standstill. However, independent music composers have been working from home and unveiling singles from time to time. Days after the partnership between Mass Appeal India and hip hop artist Divine’s Gully Gang made news, their first album Shutdown is out, and is a compilation of eight songs that try to dispel the lockdown blues.

According to a statement from the team, the album is a follow up to the 2019 album Kohinoor and inspired by the stay-at-home circumstances, it puts forth music that can be therapeutic amid the rise of the pandemic.

Shah Rule and Aavrutti   | Photo Credit: By arrangement

The music has been made in collaboration with artists like US-based rapper Elvis Brown, Gully Gang members Shah Rule, D’Evil, MC Altaf, Aavrutti quartet — Frenzzy, Saifan, Sammohit and Sledge, KR$NA, Sikander Kahlon, Kaka Sady & 7Bantaiz — and takes up themes such as the success of the underdog, social hierarchy and quotidian hustle.

Among the tracks, ‘Brinks’ forges a connection between the streets of Los Angeles and the gullies of Mumbai with street hustle serving as inspiration. ‘Bag’ has hip hop punchlines and talks about accomplishment and outshining competition through hard work and hustle. ‘Bas Kya Ba’ is steeped in the colloquial Mumbai Hindi dialect.

Talking about the album, Divine says, “With life as we know it being virtually upended by COVID-19, it’s safe to say that we’ll continue needing things to constructively pass the time with during this indeterminate quarantine period. The album is an attempt to present hip hop as one of the realist genres, capable of showcasing stark reality but having an innate ability to keep listeners motivated.”

He adds that making music during lockdown has been a welcome distraction: “We at Gully Gang wanted to offer something special to our fans to help them through these dire times and viewed this lockdown not as a limitation, but as an opportunity to present our artistry in the most authentic manner.”