‘Haq Se Hip-Hop’: A First-Of-Its-Kind Original Content and Concert Series Launched by Rolling Stone India & Qyuki

The multi-platform property to include pan-India gigs, audio and video podcasts, inspirational videos and masterclasses 

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, October 2019: With an aim to chronicle and promote India’s flourishing hip-hop scene, leading music magazine Rolling Stone India and digital media firm Qyuki have joined hands to launch #HaqSeHipHop, a first-of-its-kind multi-platform property. 

#HaqSeHipHop will celebrate the success stories of India’s top hip-hop artists, visionaries and emerging talent by means of an audio and video podcast, an inspirational video series, masterclasses and pan-India concert series.

The featured artists in #HaqSeHipHop include breakout rappers Naezy and Prabh Deep, producer Sez, hip-hop collectives Swadesi, Dopeadelicz, Khasi Bloodz and more.

WATCH THE PROMO for #HaqSeHipHop:  https://www.instagram.com/p/B3aTvXxAer5/?igshid=18joht5v7jxu

Rolling Stone India and Qyuki have been early supporters and stakeholders in India’s hip-hop ecosystem from its fledgling days, and with #HaqSeHipHop, both endeavor to give the diverse hip-hop voices in India a definitive mouthpiece they can claim as their own.

Long before hip-hop attracted mainstream attention, Rolling Stone India consistently employed its editorial platform to promote talent and report every development in the scene -- the magazine was the first to famously feature emerging hip-hop talent on its cover in 2016, following it up with another cover in 2019. 

Says Nirmika Singh, Executive Editor, Rolling Stone India, “The #HaqSeHipHop property is our way of honoring the hard work, hustle and hope in hip-hop. We are at the cusp of a music revolution in India and its biggest impact is currently being witnessed in hip-hop. As curators of pop culture, we want to tell as many compelling stories as possible – via podcasts, gigs and masterclasses.”

As India’s premier digital media enterprise, Qyuki’s contribution in nurturing budding hip-hop talent is unparalleled. Together with Universal Music, it is the co-founder of The Dharavi Dream Project(TDDP), a non-profit committed to the promotion of music and arts, which runs the After-School of Hip-Hop, Asia’s largest hip-hop institution where under-resourced artists are equipped with knowledge and skills of rap, bboying, beatboxing, DJing and graffiti.

Samir Bangara, Co-Founder & MD, Qyuki, says, “Since the birth of hip-hop in the late Seventies, its form and meaning have always been challenged and redefined by artists. To preserve the true spirit of expression as a birthright, we conceived ‘Haq Se’ (by right) which specifically promotes independent hip-hop talent. Our investment in promoting local hip-hop started with The Dharavi Dream Project six years ago along with Universal Music Group and with #HaqSeHipHop, we want to widen the platform and nurture the incredible diversity in the genre from across the country.”  

MORE ABOUT #HaqSeHipHop:

The multi-platform property is built on four pillars:

#HaqSeBolo Podcast: The first-ever hip-hop audio and video podcast in India launched by an editorial platform, featuring candid conversation between India’s most influential artists and Rolling Stone Executive Editor Nirmika Singh.

#HaqSeDekho Video Series: A high-impact inspirational video series where artists share their methods, breakthroughs, hacks and more.

#HaqSeSeekho Masterclass:

Hip-hop workshops conducted by top artists at the After School of Hip-Hop run by The Dharavi Dream Project. It is Asia's largest hip-hop school where over 100 budding artists learn rapping, bboying, beatboxing, DJing and graffiti.

#HaqSeHindustan Concert: 

Multi-city gigs featuring pan-India talent from North, South, West and East and North-East. 

ABOUT ROLLING STONE INDIA: Rolling Stone India is the Indian edition of the world’s greatest music magazine. As a pioneering publication, Rolling Stone’s credentials are incomparable and matchless, and it is the number one reference point for people to keep up with music and pop culture. Just like its global counterparts, Rolling Stone India is committed to building a creative community through its path-breaking editorial reporting, creation of IPs, curation of events and exclusive partnerships with artists and brands alike.

ABOUT QYUKI: Qyuki is a multi-platform media network across digital, live, TV and film founded by AR Rahman, Samir Bangara and Shekhar Kapur. The company uses proprietary technology and analytics to discover and promote digital super stars and manages the end-to-end value chain for them across traditional and new media platforms. They have launched several premium IPs like ARRived a singing talent hunt show with AR Rahman as mentor, Jammin’, a music series where legendary Bollywood composers and India's top internet youth icons collaborate to create original tracks. Recently they also launched NEXA Music, a hunt for original English-language artists in partnership with India’s leading automaker Maruti.