From Panvel to Goregaon: Watch these female rappers stir up a revolution in Mumbai

(Clockwise from left) Sadhana Tawde, Inspectah G, Raashi Dhamdhere, Krishna Makwana, Fenifina, and DJ Soiri

There's a new buzz in town, and it's courtesy Spotify's flagship Indian hip-hop event, RAP 91, which is set to return for its third edition in Mumbai. Featuring the latest hits from the Indian rap scene, this year's event will include a standout performance by the all-female rap collective representing the 59 Assembly, curated by Tash, a beatboxer and hip-hop head of Marol's rap cypher. Fans of the hip-hop genre would be familiar with the cypher - a gathering of rappers coming together to freestyle verses. The collective will bring a diverse line-up to the stage, featuring Feni Fina, D Raashi, INSPECTAH G, Krishna Makwana, Sadhana Beatboxer, and DJ Soiri. Tash explained how the idea came together, "My friend, Shalin Choksi from Rap 91 reached out, needing female rappers from the city. I knew the artistes from Marol rap cyphers. I introduced him to 59 Assembly's talented women, pitching them as a diverse collective, that's how our all-female rap cypher was born." The artistes will blend past and new material for this showcase, ensuring that it resonates with their personal identities as well as the audience's love for their earlier releases. The performers will be part of a line-up that includes Kratex, Delhi-based trans-artiste Kinari, Fotty Seven and Bali, Rahul Rajkhowa, MC Gawthi
among others.

This cypher is the first time when all six women will perform together. It will also showcase their individual styles while forming a cohesive sound. "All of us will be spitting bars back-to-back, drawing on trap, drill, and old-school hip-hop to create an experience from start to finish," the crew shared. The performance will include elements of rapping, beatboxing, and DJing, with Sadhana Tawde and DJ Soiri teaming up for a unique beatbox-DJ jam session. The performance will feature the artistes rapping over DJ beats and the beatboxing to create a raw environment.

Tash

"Our aim is to come together and perform as a united front to showcase the female rapping community and upcoming talent in the Mumbai hip-hop scene. If all of us had the same style, we would sound monotonous. We will be using different beats to present our unique and varying flows. This is how rap is supposed to be. We are supposed to switch flows, and we will be doing the same seamlessly," the crew explained. "It was interesting to see our styles come together, since we have diverse approaches and languages. We were impressed when we had our first practice. There was a lot of cohesion and free-flowing communication compared to performing with male artistes. We noticed that our frequencies aligned and it felt like we were a group despite it being our first time performing with each other," the crew explained.

Tash is optimistic about the future of female artistes in this genre, "This isn't just about one performance but about shifting the narrative and proving that women are just as fierce and talented in the hip-hop scene. This performance could inspire more female artistes to join cyphers and jams, discovering the real essence of hip-hop."

On November 10; 4 pm onwards
At Mehboob Studios, Hill Road, Ranwar, Bandra West.
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BEAT AND BOX

Krishna, rapper, Mumbai Central
This is my first time performing with a female crew on such a big stage, and the experience has been incredible. I learnt classical music from a very young age and was introduced to hip hop in my teens. I'm bringing an Indian classical touch with ‘alaap' to our set, and it's amazing to see how that blends with the powerful hip hop styles around me. This is a rare chance to showcase how these two genres can co-exist, and I hope to spread this art to a wider audience.

DJ Soiri, DJ, Goregaon
I usually don't DJ for hip-hop, so this opportunity was a huge surprise. I will be stepping out of the electronic and techno zone to craft something fresh. I used my skills as a sound engineer to create the intro beats from scratch. We will have a one minute-duo jam session, where I'll be scratching alongside Sadhana to create an exciting ‘jugalbandi'. Being part of a hip-hop community is something I've always craved for.

Sadhana Tawde, beatboxer, Ghatkopar
Performing together brings such massive synergy. We're tapping into hip hop's roots, and it's truly about unity - I'm beatboxing, and they are performing their styles to my beats. It's a chance to get back on stage and feel bold, alive, and confident, especially after my two-year break. A huge shoutout to Tash; this is going to be great.

Inspectah G, rapper, Kandivli
I've been performing hip hop for eight years, moving from beatboxing to rapping. My forte is drill, but this is by far the biggest stage I've been on and I'm ready to bring justice to the opportunity. We each have our unique backgrounds and styles; and while it was challenging sometimes, we took a month to build this set. Communication made it happen. I hope to empower more female rappers to find their voice.

Feni Fina, rapper, Andheri West and Toronto
This feels like a moment for the next generation of artistes rising up. As women, it's especially empowering. My style is authentic, rooted in my Mumbai and Toronto influences, it's all about staying connected to one's roots. With Spotify's reach, we can show the world that Indian female artists are taking their place on big stages. This is an expression of our individuality.

Raashi, rapper, Panvel
It feels great to showcase our talent. People don't often see the strength of female rappers as a collective, and we're here to change that. My style revolves around high-speed - I can spit bars at 150 words a minute, and I'm excited to bring that energy. This performance is also a comeback for me after a jaw injury. I'm ready to prove my resilience and show people that female rappers are a force to be reckoned with.