A record ride from Thane to LA

The next time you spot a rickshaw plying within Thane with a fancy Eminem sticker on it, know that it is owned by the proud father of an emerging local rapper. Nineteen-year-old Ashutosh Mohite, aka MC Maar-T, says he could not have finished his debut album, recorded and produced in Los Angeles, without his father Anil's support.

"I grew up in a small home in Thane's Chirag Nagar. I still remember how people in the area would tell my father he won't be able to offer a good education to my sister and me and that we were not allowed to dream, for they will never be fulfilled. When I took to rapping in school, these voices multiplied, but my father never lost faith in me."

Maar-T was introduced to Eminem's Lose Yourself as a 13-year-old. "In the song, Eminem writes that we only get one shot and we should never miss this chance. The lines inspired me to take up rapping. I remember standing on the last bench in the classroom and rapping his hits. Who knew the love for underground hip-hop would bloom into a full-fledged career in this industry?"

An alumnus of RJ Thakur school, Maar-T mostly writes in Hindi and Marathi, and is slowly learning the vocal structure in English as well. "In 2014, I did my first show at Bedekar College and won an award. When I told my father I did not want to pursue a career in the IT sector and work on my rap seriously, there was not a shadow of doubt." He soon started the Asliyat crew, with two rapper friends. "We mostly rapped about India and the need to stay united under any circumstances."

Maar-T finally got his break in November 2017, when he was introduced to New York producers, Shay Vishawadia, president of Original Five Media, and Susanna Uusmaa, from Crossbones Media. He subsequently met Sat Bisla, founder of A&R Worldwide, who signed him on for his debut album. "When I was rehearsing with Vishawadia in a Mumbai studio, I came across Bisla's offer and I jumped at it."

Maar-T flew to LA and worked with producers Monty Malone and Ryan Benyo for a week and recorded four Hindi songs for the album: Hip Hop from India. "[The song] Hey Bombay is a personal favourite as it discusses the city of Mumbai and the beauty of its people, who stand together even during times of crisis." The album is on SoundCloud and will be officially launched in a few months.

Bisla also gave him the opportunity to perform at Musexpo's 2019 Creative Summit on March 25. "It was a dream come true. I am the only Indian rapper to have graced that stage." He is now in talks with Mumbai producers for his next album. "I returned home from LA and found the Eminem sticker on my father's rickshaw. For him, his son is his Eminem."

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