MUMBAI: Rap songs seem to have become the most favoured in Bollywood nowadays, but Baba Sehgal, who is credited as one of the first Indian rappers, says the genre has still not arrived in the Indian music market.
“I do not see any rap happening in Bollywood. The only thing I see is four to five lines of ‘dharr dharr’ (loud music). That is it. I am not saying so because I only rap but these guys, whoever you are saying in Bollywood, they sing four to five lines and basically say ‘Oh daaru! Oh daaru!’,” said Sehgal.
Sehgal, who has given hits like ‘Thanda thanda paani’, a brazen remake of ‘Ice ice baby’ of international rapper Vanilla Ice, says repeating some lines is not rap according to him.
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“They (Bollywood) have a song, then they have four to five lines mixing rap. So I do not think so rap has arrived in Bollywood. Just singing few lines like ‘Oh baby! Oh whatever’… that is not rap according to me,” he added.
The rapper, who has crooned a number for an Indian animated comedy TV series for children titled ‘Pakdam Pakdai’, airing on Nickelodeon’s Sonic channel, says that “it will take some time for actual rap songs to come” in the industry.
Having given comical titled tracks like ‘Chicken fried rice’, ‘Aloo ka parantha’ and ‘Mutual fund’, the rapper believes that the digital age has given an impetus to help non-film singers get a worthy platform.
“When you talk about non-film songs, you cannot do much of dance numbers. But if singers do it in movies, they get support of the films, Bollywood, actors, producers and banners… that is how those songs are promoted.
“But our songs are promoted merely on our credit and through the internet,” said Sehgal, who was also seen in the first season of ‘Bigg Boss’.
Sehgal will next be seen doing a cameo in a project by Yash Raj Films titled ‘Bank Chor’, which features actors Riteish Deshmukh and Vivek Oberoi. He will be rapping for the title song of the film.
