From Detroit to Dharavi: Why Eminem Matters To Indian Hip-Hop

Whatever led the Rap God, Eminem, to decide to take a centre stage in India this June, it is undeniably a landmark moment for Indian fans and the country's music circuit. For a country where hip-hop evolved from gritty underground movements to a bigger hustle culture, it owes a lot of the stylistic evolution of the music genre to Eminem.

A generation of Indian rappers has drawn inspiration from the American rapper, who in the 90s and early 2000s constantly dominated headlines, thanks to both his music and controversies. So, it's only fitting that he is finally gracing the Indian stage and giving a nod to India's burgeoning hip-hop landscape deeply influenced by his bars.

From the first South-Asian rapper to truly popularize rap in the Indian subcontinent, Bohemia, to MC Stan, Indian hip-hop artists have openly vocalised their appreciation for Eminem. But beyond the anticipation and the spectacle of the upcoming show in Mumbai, lies a more complex question: Why does a predominately African-American art form, born in Bronx and steeped in the struggle of American communities, resonate so profoundly with Indian audiences and artists? What is it about hip-hop, and specifically Eminem, that feels so urgently relevant to our subcontinent?

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Apart from his lyrical influence, Indian hip-hop owes much of its understanding of rap to the Grammy winner, Eminem. He is almost a cultural cypher for Indian fans. When Marshall Mathers emerged as Slim Shady, a moniker like Eminem, in the late 1990s, his unfiltered and introspective style of lyrics, wit, his yips and hard-hitting story-telling ability captivated a generation. However, 25 years later, the album titled The Death Of Slim Shady, declared that moniker dead.

At a time when mainstream music in India was dominantly Bollywood driven, music channels like VH1, MTV, and the rise of YouTube introduced the audience to international music like never before. Away from escapist music of Hindi cinema, rappers like Eminem, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Snoop Dogg struck a chord with young Indians. Eminem's raw narratives, especially, felt startlingly real, mirroring hardships, chaos, and resilience. His ability to turn introspection into anthems, alchemizing pain into art is pure magic that people gravitated towards.

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Eminem's oeuvre characterized by angst, wit, and rawness was seen by many as a masculine protest. Even the publicity stunts and roasting Hollywood contemporaries in his songs like 'A** Like That', 'My Name Is' , 'Shady Cxvpher, ' Busa Rhyme' , 97 Bonnie & Clyde', 'Cleanin Out My Closet', Eminem did not shy away from expressing his rage or vulnerability, something refreshing for the Indian audience. Fueling controversies around misogyny, homophobia, and violence, his songs depicted the hardships of working-class males that move beyond national borders.

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Themes of alienation, tales of adversities, and defiance marrying poetry and rhythm are perhaps the reasons for his mega following in India. These themes often find themselves reflected in Indian rap landscape, the most popular example, is emergence of Mumbai's gully rap movement. Divine, Emiway Bantai, Naezy, Mc Stan often hailed as torchbearers of the new wave of hip-hop in India share ethos with the revered rap god.

Much like the struggles that often reflect in hip-hop discourses- identity, race, privilege, and authenticity, Indian rappers hit the mark just right. But here's the powerful irony, neither Eminem nor Indian Hip-hop artists like Raftaar belong to the African-American belt. What resonates then, is the fundamental truth of Hip-Hop; it is less about where you come from and more about the truth you wish to tell.

Today, Indian hip-hop thrives on this personalized identity mixing beats with influences rooted in Indian film music, folksongs, and classical music. Finally, Eminem making his way to India broadly celebrates how far the movement has come, from Detroit to Dharavi.