In my opinion, India’s finest-ever product campaign. The brainchild of India’s leading creative agency, DDB Mudhra, Suede Gully encompasses how different and connected India is at the same time!
The music video combines three street art forms – graffiti, rap, and dance. It showcases those creative through 8 rappers, 7 street artists, and 36 hip-hop dancers from Mumbai, Delhi, Shillong, and Madurai. There was a time when global companies vying for a spot in the Indian market couldn’t look beyond the ‘gentleman’s game’ when it came to advertising. Cut to 2017, the streets are now taken over by rap singers, hip-hop dancers, and artists armed with spray cans. One of the first campaigns that used “Indian rap” to capture the audience’s attention. Safe to say it has worked because it’s still got me bussing to that tune!
Cut to 2019. Vivian Fernandes aka DIVINE is one of the finest rappers to come out of India. The real voice of the streets, the original “Gully Boy”, Divine has shown that commitment and hard work can take you places. His journey to the top inspired the script for one of India’s greatest theatrical masterpieces, Gully Boy. A movie truly ahead of its time. A proper story, dance numbers subbed for music videos, creative masterpieces. Gully Boy made me go from vibing to Travis Scott to bringing the house down with artists such as Kaam Bhaari and Dub Sharma.
But this is not India’s first tango with creative music. Cut to the early 2000s when we were screaming at the top of our lungs to artists such as Bombay Rockers, along with British-Punjabi artists such as Jazzy B, Panjabi MC, and many more that put a whiff of what Indian music could grow into! Fast forward to 2023, some of the artists in India making waves around the world: Divine, Seedhe Maut, King, and many more!
More recently underground rap is turning into a bit of a phenomenon as well. Bollywood and Netflix originals for India have been incorporating rap originals for their creations. Sacred games had Divine, Uri the surgical strike had Dee MC, and more recently the Indian remake of the Spanish show “Elite” labeled “Class” experiments with Delhi underground rappers Samad, 3BHK, and many more.
Let’s not leave Techno out of this conversation! India is so culturally diverse. We have 28 different states, 22 official languages, in total 121 different languages, and 270 mother tongues! The potential for creativity has no limit! Step in India’s electronic/techno artists such as Tech Panda, Noni-Mouse, Spryk, Kenzani, and many more. The use of authentic folk music and encapsulating it along with relaxing beats that you could bounce to either at home or on a night out speaks volumes! Not built for everyone, but if you do enjoy techno music give it a shot!
Wagwan¿ 