A beat report

Participants at The Battle of Beatboxers competition held in January 2020

If we were to tell you that the rise of independent hip-hop music has been exponential in India over the past eight years, you'd probably say, "Hmph, tell me something new." It's unlikely that you aren't familiar with breakthrough rappers like Divine and Naezy, and you have probably been meditating in a Himalayan cave if you haven't heard of Gully Boy, the Bollywood hit based loosely on their journeys.

But you'd possibly raise an incredulous eyebrow if we told you that there has been a beatboxing community that has burgeoned simultaneously with the rise of hip-hop music in the country (though it's far from reaching the latter's exalted status just yet). Like B-boys and girls and graffiti artists, practitioners of the art form have got a new lease of life as the overall hip-hop culture has entered the lexicon of mainstream culture. And now, they will get a further fillip when the final round of The Battle of Beatboxers - a nationwide competition - culminates this weekend at a Nariman Point venue.

Shows like MTV Hustle gave a fillip to beatboxing in India

It's an event that live-entertainment platform Roposo has organised, where around 75 people from over 10 cities posted initial entries on its app, which consisted of one-minute videos that showcased their beatboxing skills. That list was whittled down to 32 artistes who will now vie for the top spot at the physical event that is open to the public. Gaurav Gambhir aka D-Cypher, one of the judges, shares that apart from the four eventual winners, the person whose video gains the most views on the Roposo app will also be given a cash prize. Overall, he added, the event is aimed at bringing the beatboxing community together, giving the participants stage exposure, and showing a lay audience what the art form is actually all about after its practitioners had been deprived of the oxygen of live performances for two years due to the pandemic.

That last bit is a shame, really, because Gambhir tells us that 2019 was an especially encouraging year for beatboxing in India. It was when a rap reality show called MTV Hustle premiered on TV. The finals of Red Bull BC One, a global B-boying competition that incorporated beatboxing, were held for the first time in India, in Mumbai. Gully Boy, the movie we don't need to tell you about, also released in 2019, with Gambhir himself contributing to its music. So, the art form was gaining credence nationally when the pandemic brought its wheels to an abrupt halt. Now, those same wheels have been set in motion again with events such as the one this weekend.

Gaurav Gambhir

Which is just as well, because even before 2019, beatboxing had been making steady inroads across the length and breadth of the country. There were two college events held in Mumbai in 2014, Gambhir tells us, which is when he realised that a wider community existed in the city. "The same thing was happening in Bangalore, and in 2016, the first Indian beatboxing competition held at a national level took place at the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, where people from places as far off as Delhi participated," he says, adding that Beatbox India - the local chapter of a global movement - was also launched in 2018. All these factors led to artistes getting noticed and contributing their skills to things like radio jingles and web series. But, Gambhir also feels that it will take about four to five years more for the art form to truly come into its own in this country. The foundation has already been laid. Now, it's up to the different stakeholders to create a definite structure for it.

On: February 19, 7 pm
At: Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, Nariman Point.
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 200