Gully Fest: Celebrating the streets

Over the past few years, the Indian rap underground has been making major inroads into mainstream pop culture. And at the vanguard of this new musical revolution is Mumbai’s gully rap star Divine, whose 2015 single Mere Gully Mein, featuring fellow Mumbai rapper Naezy, was the scene’s first breakout smash hit.

Now the poster-boy of Indian hip hop has come together with Red Bull and entertainment conglomerate Only Much Louder for Gully Fest, a one-day festival in Mumbai dedicated to every element of hip hop culture. The event showcases some of the biggest talents in desi hip hop. Divine and his live band Gully Gang are on top of the bill, but the line-up also features dub artists Delhi Sultanate and Begum X, rappers Enkore, D’Evil and Gravity, and DJs Proof and Major C, among others. Flying Machine, three-time champion at the annual Red Bull BC One India b-boy competition, will also show off his dance skills.

“Gully Fest is the voice of streets," says Divine. “It’s not just a stage, it is a community of voices from my generation that are only just starting to get heard."

Gully Fest will take place at Famous Studios, Mumbai on 22 September. Entry is free, but by RSVP on www.insider.in