At close to noon on a winter morning, somewhere in the middle of the maze like blocks of Tilak Nagar in Delhi-18, I give Prabh Deep Sagar a call. “Weren’t we supposed to meet at three,” replies a still groggy voice from the other end. I remind him that I’m coming in at a time we agreed upon. I spend more than 15 minutes strolling aimlessly until I see a stout, sturdy, turbaned figure walk toward me. “We were in the studio till five in the morning,” he says.
Prabh Deep grew up on the streets of West Delhi. “Hip hop started from West Delhi, Delhi-18,” Prabh Deep tells me about its birth in the city, “and I feel so blessed to be able to represent my hood.”
Prabh Deep discovered a small b-boying and breaking circuit in Delhi’s Vikas Puri back when he was still an eleventh grader, and a judoka. Electing to drop out of school to pursue his “calling” was an easy decision. With that decision came the reality of making a living: “Then it hit me. I couldn’t do Judo or dance anymore.” The next few months were spent taking on routine jobs. “I still kept in touch with the hip hop circuit though.”
It wasn’t until a year or two that his transition from a break dancer to an emcee, happened. He studied the art of music business from his idols— Dr. Dre and Eminem. Soon enough, he crossed paths with a young beatmaker who went by the name of Sez, signed himself with Azadi Records – a fledgeling hip hop label founded by like-minded folk – and set a plan for the long term in motion.
Prabh Deep’s debut 12-track album, Class-Sikh, which won him the TFA award last week, is a celebration of surviving the streets of Tilak Nagar. Prabh Deep’s evasion of doom at the hands of his neighbourhood was a mixture of good fortune, and oddly well focused hustling. “It has made me hard. I can be the hardest emcee in the game if I wanted. I’m going to hold my position for a good few years, and then I’m going to mess everyone up. Just wait for it.”
At 23 Prabh Deep is at the forefront of the hip hop crusade in India. Endless tours across the country with internationally recognized artists, striking deals with Puma for its newest project showcasing talent from the Indian streets, and being the pin-up boy for Punjabi rap, Prabh Deep is composed when questioned about his stature in India’s hip hop community. His recent tour with UK artist Lady Leshurr “was just a warm up. Bangalore was massive,” he says, although still confused as to why the crowd didn’t ‘turn it up’ like he usually expects.
That’s when Bangalore-based rapper Smokey reminded him that the crowd was unlike anywhere else, and “they weren’t there to turn it up, they were there to actually listen.” It is crowds like this that keep Prabh Deep honest with his art. It is the kids from the streets he wants to give a voice to. There is very little circumstance can do to stop him in his tracks right now. Does he see a future in the independent music scene in India for himself? “I’m going to be a millionaire before I’m 30.”
