Sunny Khan Durrani (SKD), who first got noticed with the single ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ as part of Patari Aslis Volume II is the diamond among the rough. Hailing from the city of flowers, Peshawar, SKD dropped two albums last year – Aetizaaz (featuring eight songs) and The Butterfly Effect (featuring seven songs). Before these two LPs were released, SKD made a significant mark with Khabbarnaama, an underrated LP that consisted of nine tracks and was released in 2018.

None of these releases have kept the rapper (who can drop verses in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Pushto) in releasing a crop of singles in 2021 amounting to six songs so far. Will he drop more singles before the year ends? There is a strong probability that he should because of his past record. But until that happens, Instep lent an ear to his 2021 singles.

What is obvious is that the narrative for each song released in 2021 hasn’t flipped with the rapper arrogantly writing about girls, break-ups and girls and repeating it six times as the subject matter. No, that has never been SKD’s shtick.

Each song has a story and an end and while the songs work as individual pieces of music, if seen through a combined lens, what emerges is a socio-political narrative seen through the eyes of SKD.

Beginning the story with the song ‘Urta Teer’, SKD went on to release ‘Raat Dhallay’, ‘Haasil’, ‘Girhain’, ‘Taaray’ and ‘Qissa Khwani’ (with the latter being an ode to the original Qissa Khwani Bazaar aka, Storytellers’ Bazaar that still counts Peshawar, KP, as home).

“The highways jammed with broken heroes/On a last chance power drive/Everybody’s out on the run tonight/But there’s no place left to hide” - ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen

‘Urta Teer’ that dropped in the month of January is accompanied by a music video that is as raw as SKD’s lyrics. In some ways, the music video is the announcement of newer SKD material and adds to his self-confidence at a time when rap is the new game in music. But beyond the peripheral, it also adds to the larger narrative woven by SKD where the subject is both hard-hitting and raw.

Released on January 1 of this year, ‘Urta Teer’ sets the mood for what follows. Directed by Awais A. Khan, the music video is set against a landscape with garbage submerged in water on both sides and a bridge on one side with Sunny sitting on a chair. As the music video begins, Sunny gets his game face on and raps in Urdu: “Sharafat Ka Yeh Daur Nahin”, it hits close to home. Bar after bar, Sunny spits some delightful verses if you enjoy his compositions.

‘Raat Dhallay’ also features Debashree Dasgupta on vocals in addition to SKD. Debashree lends a very soothing opening to as she wonders when will the person you’ve been waiting on will ever return. She kills on the hooks. SKD, meanwhile carries the song, where he asks at one point to wait for him. It provides a surprising element to the releases and is a great segue from what was expected given SKD’s penchant for socio-political awareness and penning them in his song. Unlike other songs, this addresses a person in particular and has a somewhat love-drenched overarching theme. But it’s not as cheesy as you’d think.

‘Haasil’ is in a sense an extension, or an earlier release called ‘La Haasil’. It is this song, ‘Haasil’ that really makes it clear that lyricism can be poetic and ‘Haasil’ is a good example. It paints a picture that is hard to dismiss. There is a sense of optimism and respect for what has been given.

‘Girhain’, a single that features Rahab Munir is backed by animation, audio production by SKD who is also responsible for the music, lyrics and composition. As the song begins, we’re watching animation with a man sitting on a sofa flipping channels while a girl is hanging from a noose. We don’t see the noose or face but its right there and when you notice it, the brazen lyrical content starts making sense.

‘Taaray’ follows ‘Qissa Khwani’, an ode to the Qissa Khwani (Storytellers’ Bazaar) Bazaar that is situated in Peshawar, KP and has a personal connection for Sunny since he has described it as his city in a telephonic conversation. The ominous music creates a dimension that pulls you in. Narrating the story of his own city and its many dichotomies, SKD raps at one point: “Us sheher se pyaaray/Jahan music haraam tha/Mein us sheher me palla jahan eemaan nelaam tha”, you know that predominantly and above any other song, SKD has hit the nail on the head and the reality that is not distorted.

SKD is very talented having composed the songs, penning the lyrics and being responsible for animation that is a part of the visual narrative of the songs. Rappers like SKD – among others - seem to be holding a mirror to society, and SKD is going full steam ahead.