According to Google searches and Oxford University, the very notion of ‘The Butterfly Effect’ comes from chaos theory. In simple terms, one small change can have larger consequences; “one small incident can have a big impact in the future.”

Though it originates from mathematics, The Butterfly Effect has swayed Hollywood into converting the phenomenon into a film, albeit a terrible one. It is also a phenomenon that has inspired hip-hop artist Sunny Khan Durrani to use it as the thematic concept of his new LP.

Best known for the award-winning single ‘Log Kya Kahengay’, it is his second LP of the year and an interesting choice for an album name.

But as Sunny Khan Durrani states, his third record “is a take on the unspoken in society. The ground ideology of this album is based upon the theory known as ‘The Butterfly Effect‘ according to which the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic non-linear system state. A very small change in initial conditions had created a significantly different outcome”.

He adds, perhaps alluding to his third album: “Let’s see what this butterfly causes.”

That last line is a showcase of self-belief and in the power of music.

A different agenda

From the very first album, Khabarnama to Aeitzaz Hasan, what’s palpable is that the hip-hop artist has social and political views that have helped in shaping his music. He is a keen observer and he tends to use those observations in his writings and they go beyond heartbreak hotel.

The Butterfly Effect has those same ideals but for a rapper, who can spout verses in four languages (English, Urdu, Punjabi, Pushto), Sunny has created an album full of Urdu rap, and a promising one. He is still young and that shows in his delivery and music production, but he has the talent and passion to get there.

The LP, comprising 8 tracks doesn’t ask too much from a listener, whether someone who follows him as a fan or a rookie listener. With most songs running somewhere between 3 to 4 minutes approximately, it is not difficult to take out time to listen to the record at a stretch. It is and will always be the best way albums are meant to be consumed or used to be before information overload made it improbable. However, in post-lockdown, perhaps it is better to listen to Sunny than step out unnecessarily. And wash those hands.

One thing that clearly manifests itself is that though there are collaborations with other artists such as Mooroo, Sunny Khan knows how to maintain his own individuality. And at a time when rap music is booming in Pakistan, with multiple artists rapping in multiple languages and teaming up with excellent producers, that’s not an easy thing to land. But you can only experience it by listening to the record in entirety.

Available on YouTube, the rap is not explicit except here and there but then that – more often than not – comes with the territory.

The first track, an introduction to the LP called ‘Distant Storms’, begins with Sunny taking the role of an orator. In the shortest track on the album, he paints The Butterfly Effect intro beautifully about how even the smallest things we do can effect another life in unthinkably mammoth ways. The music is subtle, and it almost feels raw, much like the words.

Not all songs feel as effective but the ones that make you realize the true potential and narrative of Sunny Khan include songs such as ‘Mandir Masjid’. On the song, Sunny raps with a fearlessness, “Maulvi bola tuney mandir jala diya? Pandit bola Tuney masjid Jalaa di ye/Mulleh or Pandir me farq thora bhi na/Han Honhe Kuch theek/Baqi Bechain Fitna”. The landscape of music is not too electric with whooshing sounds that fit the narrative. More than anything, the song makes you feel the wrath of the overzealousness of the religious lobby as well as confront your own demons when it comes to dogmatic beliefs. At a time when several artists seem to be playing fast and loose in the holy month of Ramzan, this song hits right on the nose.

‘Kalakaar Aur Dunya’ is another giant of a song that is dedicated, according to Sunny, to every artist that was murdered by the system. ‘Kalaakar Aur Dunya’ is Sunny painting a narrative and saying how the environment around us can turn someone into irreparably vicious person.

Mooroo makes an appearance on ‘Pas e Parda’ that opens with applause and is followed by piano merged with ambient sounds. Mooroo sings in sonorous tones, “Jo Daulat Aur Shohrat Maine Kamaali/Jo Tha Dil me mera/Wohi Mene Kardia/Aur Agay Bajgayi/Taali” and then Sunny arrives sounding completely different vocally. “Mujhe doobta hua dikh raha /Shor me na Khoof mein/ Sukoon hai me sochta/Ke ye sab shayad /mere zeheen ka fatoor hai…”

The song is a mirror with different perspectives, including what an artist feels, whether established or emerging. The ominous score helps matters here because it is a complex song.

The Butterfly Effect is composed, written and produced by Sunny Khan Durrani on the whole. He polishes his skills further as a music producer. As a rapper, he always had the goods and this record just goes to show how aware Sunny Khan is. He can reach new heights as he continues to tell his truth and build a clear musical landscape that takes his thematic ideas to the next level. As a music producer, he isn’t there yet but he shows immense promise that one day he will get there.