Ikka: The true essence of rap is poetry and storytelling - Exclusive

Musical artist Ikka who is famous for penning and singing a lot of Hindi and Punjabi songs as well as rap recently sat with ETimes for a candid cup of conversation. Today he will be performing at India’s Ultimate Hip Hop Concert, and he seems pretty elated about the same. He said, “I am super excited for this mega event which features one of the elites from hip hop industry and all I can say is that we are going to make sure everyone has an eventful night full of crazy energy and a couple of surprises”. Further, he also spoke his mind on the rap industry of India, its essence, the changes, and much more; scroll down for the excerpts from the interview

Ikka is one of those artists who know how to play with words, thus, we asked him when was the first time he realized that had this talent. “Guess everyone knows my story now post my album “Nishu”. It was at a very young age when my friend ‘Joel’ introduced me to hip hop and then gradually things evolved after a lot of hard work and commitment,” Ikka said.

"It’s been almost a decade since Ikka is a part of the music and rap world. We asked him that people often use the terms like dis rap or hard rap, but according to you what is the true essence of rap? “The true essence of rap is poetry and storytelling. Ensuring people connect with you and feel what you’re saying and that’s what is hip hop to me,” replied the artist.

During the conversation, Ikka also spoke his mind on the rap culture in India. He said, “Rap culture is now one of the fastest-evolving genres in the industry, and I am sure it’s gonna be at prime soon”

Last but not least, we asked Ikka does he believe that gradually even female rap artists are also creating a niche for themselves in the industry. With a big smile on his face, he told us, “Yes, indeed they are! There are a lot of versatile and crazy female artists in the industry. It makes me so proud to see females coming upfront and contributing to the genre. It’s like a great essence in music.”

Also Read: Ikka on collaborating with Badshah and Raftaar: Careful evaluations were made before getting them on board - Exclusive