You may call him a poet, as he plays with words and effortlessly juggles rhymes, and as a musician, as he expertly creates rhythms.

The truth is, he is essentially a combination of both. Meet 18-year old hip-hop artiste Herchel Gulve, better known as ‘Skeem’, who is taking the music scene in SoBo by storm.

New age artistes like Skeem, who performs with his band Qwaz, exemplify the burgeoning hip-hop scene in Mumbai. “Hip-hop really started making its presence felt post 2002,” recalls DJ Manish, who works with Big FM. DJ Sa, who plays only hip-hop music at various city clubs, believes the statistics speak for themselves.

“When I started out, hip-hop nights meant 10 people in a dingy room. Today, more than 300 enthusiasts turn up for my Thursday hip-hop nights,” he reveals.

The media and international exposure are responsible for these rising numbers. Adds Malabar Hill resident and hip-hop fan Jai Ganatra, “The number of international stars visiting Mumbai — from 50 Cent to Chamillionaire and celebrity DJ Chris Mcguinness from New York — have also contributed to the growth of this genre.” 

Fans unanimously agree that hip-hop is less of a musical genre and more of a way of life. “It’s not just music, it’s a way of life. From my vocabulary to attire, hip-hop influences everything,” explains Ganatra.

Words like ‘yo’ that originate from hip-hop are very common amongst SoBo teenagers. Observes DJ Manish, “Every musical genre gives rise to a sort of popular culture. This is most obvious for hip-hop, because starting with the bling, it is characteristically loud.”

Bollywood is perhaps hip-hop music’s greatest competition. “Most clubs prefer Hindi numbers that more people can relate to, and inevitably compromise on specialised genres like hip-hop,” reveals DJ Sa. However, Skeem has a different take on the matter, saying, “Bollywood helps hip-hop grow and reach the masses.

” Abhishek Bachchan’s Bluffmaster rendition is a case in point. In fact, Skeem himself has worked on a few Bollywood movies, including the unreleased Hello.

Inspite of the rising popularity, hip-hop remains a niche genre in Mumbai. “It is usually the teenyboppers of the 12-15 year age bracket that are its biggest fans,” reveals DJ Manish. Agrees DJ Sa, who plays only hip-hop music, “It is definitely most popular amongst the youth, who outgrow it as they become adults.” 

Although it has taken a promising leap ahead, hip-hop cannot afford to be a fad that fades away. Publicity of events and concerts is of utmost importance. “Promotion of this genre has been long ignored.

No SoBo club entirely dedicates a night to hip-hop,” reveals DJ Sa. “The Indian market is huge, imagine if this was tapped by the hip-hop scene!” Additionally, women are few and largely unrepresented in this male-dominated genre. “With the exception of Hard Kaur, no other woman rapper comes to mind,” admits Ganatra. That said, SoBo’s music culture is in for a change like never before. Without doubt, hip-hop is red hot! 

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Mithila Mehta is a student of journalism and a painter. She religiously follows F1 and likes inventing new words. Our very own Shakespeare in the making , except she's way cuter, and Shakespeare never really liked the F1.