Tracing the history of rap and hip-hop - once music was being made by the likes of Vital Signs, Nazia Hassan and others - is a daunting task. But who can forget Fakhr-e-Alam in his past avatar as a rapper with the song ‘Bhangra Pao’?

While Fakhr-e-Alam seems to have segued from rap game by either being a guest on various talk shows or a host for numerous events, rap music has transformed into a mirror held up to societal norms as well as several subjects, personal and political. The last few years have elevated the status of rap and hip hop ahead of rock music. It is impossible to do justice to each artist. Nonetheless here’s a glance at some names who are taking rap to greater heights…

“I got power, poison, pain, and joy inside my DNA/I got hustle, though, ambition flow inside my DNA.” - ‘DNA’ by Kendrick Lamar

When we’re thinking of provocative and reflective rap music, the man leading from the front is Faris Shafi. Songs like ‘Jawaab De’ and ‘Clap’ with Talal Qureshi, ‘Waasta’ with Ali Sethi, ‘Prosaic’ with Abdullah Siddiqui and solo singles such as ‘Nazar’ and ‘Molotov’ showcase self-expression as well as throwing light on the deteriorating fabric of society, drug use, questions that remain unanswered.

It’s also reflective of Shafi’s inner despair that he is willing to share such lyrics with listeners. That is a courageous thing in itself. He raps in ‘Nazar’: “Saari Saari raat main jaagta/Neend nai aati, baat nai maanta/Main betha, akela/main bistar, main leta/main pasay, palat-ta/main khwabon, main sota, hoon.” With a plethora of singles combined, Faris has released enough material to call it an EP. Here’s hoping he drops more singles sooner than later.

Traipsing between mainstream and independent music is the duo of Young Stunners featuring Talha Yunis and Talha Anjum. They shone in ‘Groove Mera’, a song repping the return of season six of Pakistan Super League.

The song also featured Naseebo Lal and Aima Baig, but the boys added their special spin to it. Their musical trajectory is incredible with an EP called A Tale of Two Talhas, an album called Khana Badosh, another album called Rebirth and several singles. Both also work on solo content and this combination seems to be working for them.

While these artists rap predominantly in Urdu, other languages are woven into our current rap music scene as well. One great example is Bohemia, originally from Pakistan and located outside Pakistan at present. His following surpasses geographical limits. In addition, appearing on Coke Studio multiple times has added to his following in Pakistan. He is bilingual, rapping in Punjabi and Urdu.

“I was born like this/Since one like this/immaculate conception/I transform like this, perform like this” - ‘DNA’ by Kendrick Lamar

Rap music tells us the stories that we don’t hear otherwise. Contrary to popular belief that rap music is about girls, money and violence, the opposite is the actual truth. It can also be the voice of a movement. For instance, Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Alright’ is the unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Closer to home, it is about promoting and taking ownership of our rich and beautiful culture with music as well as expressing the myopia holding us hostage. Artists such as Lyari Underground, Sami Amiri and Eva B can be credited for bringing forward Baloch culture and repping spaces such as Lyari.

Their songs paint a narrative that goes against predictable tropes we associate with various cultures and vicinities. In fact, Lyari Underground have such strong potential that they were the only act to perform at Mad Decent Block Party that was held in Islamabad and featured (apart from local artists), international names such as Major Lazer (ft. Diplo), Chrome Sparks and Valentino Khan.

Lyari Underground and the equally talented Young Desi performed ‘Rap Hai Saara’ in season 11 of Coke Studio, finding a national audience. For the uninitiated, Young Desi found commercial success after appearing on a song produced by Bohemia. Since then, Young Desi has released a slew of songs, going national with his appearance on Coke Studio 11.

“(The world is a ghetto with big guns and picket signs)/I love myself/(But it can do what it want whenever it want, I don’t mind)/I love myself/(He said I gotta get up, life is more than suicide)/I love myself” - ‘i’ by Kendrick Lamar

The narratives of rap music do not end here.

Rapper, composer and producer Adil Omar is the champion of rapping predominantly in English. When Adil works on beats or lyricism, he goes all the way. With several releases to his name, including The Mushroom Cloud Effect, Adil dropped his full-length album Transcendence, accompanied by a film. His lyrics were also featured in Aleph Review and Adil has been covered by the likes of Noisey, an offshoot of Vice Media, among other things.

Going vulnerable and offering ciphers and addressing his late father via strong verses, Adil expresses himself without pandering to an audience that may or may not like his work. Almost poetic, Adil’s verses are beautiful.

On ‘Transcendence’, Adil presents the following verses as the beginning of the song: “Take a walk on the wild side/Establish who the author is/The one in the mirror, regardless who the father is/See it from a higher plane/Then you can leave it for the higher dream/And if you notice what the dust do/The tension and the lesions and debris won’t combust you”.

Post Transcendence while Adil has continued his journey in music, the multi-lingual genre of rap is offering fantastic music, still. Who doesn’t remember ‘The Sibbi Song’ ft. SomeWhatSuper and Abid Brohi?

“It’s a secret society/All we ask is trust/(All we ask is trust)/All we got is us/Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty” - ‘Loyalty’ by Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna

Artists without whom this overview of rap in Pakistan would feel incomplete include Maanu, Sunny Khan Durrani, Taha G and Xpolymer Dar.

For his part, Maanu has done exceedingly well by releasing an album called Yain City in 2020 followed by singles such as ‘5 am (with Talal Qureshi)’ and ‘Melancholic’ in recent weeks.

Addressing a loved one and loneliness, Maanu goes on the song ‘Melancholic’, “Teri khushion mein khushian sahoon/Melancholic/Sa hai ye sama mein kahoon kya/Adhoori raatein/Teray bin rehta hun mein yu tanha”.

Sunny Khan Durrani has dropped several LPs, a series of singles and is well-aware of his surroundings, singing about the despair embedded within those who are disenfranchised. On ‘Raat Dhallay’ goes Sunny: “me chor chuka jhooti umeedon pe rehna/Me kharaa taiyaar ke me sehlun jo sehnaa/Mere seene me himmat abhi bhi hai baaqi/Me dunya se lar raha hun jangain bhi kaafi” and you instantly recognize that Sunny is sharing a personal piece of himself with listeners, which is why he resonates with his audience.

Taha G is another formidable name with an LP called Gun to My Head and the 2020 release Sitam EP is one name we always enjoy listening to and you should too. His 2020 release with Maanu called ‘Dou Pal’ is quite a track. “Dekho inn dou pal ke raahi hain panchi hum/Kitnay saalon se bhaagay hain ghum se hum/Aagay toofan hai baadal barsein gay ab/Laayein gay nayyi khushian wo apnay sang/Hai ye raat andheri neendh na aaye/Dhun ye sar mein ghoomein bus/Sur ye dil ko kyun machlaye”.

Xpolymer Dar is among the finest rappers in the country and found a whole other kind of audience with a promotional song for Shoaib Mansoor’s Verna starring Mahira Khan. It culminated in a killer rap song called ‘Power Di Game’. His sharp delivery of the hard-hitting song and rapier lyrics only made it much more powerful. As Xpolymer Dar raps: “…tainoon samajh kyun naeen aandi ay/Power di game rano power di game sari, power di game sari, power di game aa”. Though other films have also featured rap-induced tracks, Xpolymer Dar takes home the prize with ‘Power Di Game’.

This brings us to the end of the article, but not before shedding a light on OCL. Formerly known as Osama Com Laude, OCL has gone all out for his newest EP and is taking his art much more seriously than ever before. From doing one-off singles, the Rawalpindi-based OCL has grown as an artist, dropping a trilogy of EPs, beginning with paKING, followed by Barbaadi and the 2021 release called Munkashif. The last one comes with a short film so there’s a visual aspect to each song. Putting everything in these EPs, OCL has dropped his inner guard, and the albums reflect a truth that is best known to him. OCL also collaborated with a bunch of rappers which led to the multi-language track, ‘Pindi Aye’ on the side and it has gone on to generate millions of views on YouTube alone. One verse notes cheekily: “Baat kuch aisi, Pindi key logon ki/Burger ye samjhay hai, life inki pogo si/Dekh key hain kartay humain ye laugh/Hain larkay hum saday, need ni hai logo ki/Pindi boy, Pindi boy, zubaan pe hook/Rehtay hum khush, chahay bol le aur kuch”.

With so many artists performing as rappers today, it looks like pop music needs to up its game. Until then, we’re happy listening to rappers who have emerged in the last decade in particular.