MUMBAI: In the second season of NBA India’s docuseries “Hoop Nation,” hip-hop collective Straight Outta Srinagar (SOS) shares how rhythm, resistance, and the rawness of the street come alive both on the mic and the court.
NBA India’s collaboration with Skechers for the second season of “Hoop Nation” has once again spotlighted the deep, organic connection between basketball and hip-hop culture in India. At the heart of this season is the powerful presence of Straight Outta Srinagar (SOS)—a hip-hop duo from Kashmir who bring with them not just bars, but a story rooted in resistance, survival, and identity.
For SOS, music is more than sound—it’s a form of protest, a form of expression, and a way to reclaim space. And when they were invited to be part of Hoop Nation, it felt like a natural extension of that mission.
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“As Straight Outta Srinagar, our music comes straight from what we live and breathe in Kashmir,” they shared. “It’s about resistance, survival, and finding space to just be. Basketball is the same in a lot of ways. In our community, the court is like the studio—a place to let it out, to move, to focus.”
This synergy between sport and sound became the heartbeat of their creative process for the series. Rather than crafting a generic anthem, SOS immersed themselves in the rhythm of the game—the bounce of the ball, the pressure of the clock, the tension of the court—and let that guide their sound.
“We didn’t just want to rap about the ball—we wanted to capture the feel of it,” they explained. “The bounce, the tension, the speed—all of that fed into the beat. We kept the production raw, no over-polish. Just that push-and-pull energy you feel during a game. The court shifted our flow too. Less introspective, more present, more sharp.”
Their performance in Hoop Nation is more than a musical feature—it’s a reflection of the evolution happening within India’s youth culture. SOS believes we’re witnessing a shift where young people are no longer borrowing voices, but confidently owning their own.
“Whether it’s spitters from the Northeast or hoopers from Kashmir, there’s this hunger to represent. We’re not trying to copy the West anymore. We’re putting our own slang, our own stories, our own flavor into the culture. The street is where the raw truth comes from, and we’re glad people are finally paying attention.”
At the core of their message is a powerful reminder to young artists and fans alike: that your story, your roots, your grind—they matter.
“Your roots are your power,” they say. “Whether you’re writing bars or putting in shots on a beat-up court, it counts. Me and my brother are just two artists from Srinagar who never stopped putting truth into the mic—and now we’re on something like Hoop Nation. So yeah, keep creating, keep showing up. You never know who’s watching or where your story might land.”
Through Hoop Nation, SOS doesn’t just tell their story—they open the door for countless others who are finding their rhythm, their fight, and their voice through the language of sport and sound.
