Meet India’s viral hip-hop star!

Brut India

“Being a female rapper is exactly like being a rapper.” Srushti Tawade spoke to us about her journey, criticism and much more. #SmartMoves #Smartwater

Transcript

00:00I sang a chill song, I wrote a small don

00:02If it's not me, then who is it?

00:11Srishti Tawde for Brute.

00:14You're gonna be meeting her.

00:17Am I disturbing you?

00:18Yes.

00:18Oh God.

00:20You were recording right now?

00:22No, I was dancing.

00:24So from poetry to rap,

00:26you've made a very unconventional choice for yourself

00:29in terms of a career.

00:31Why did you choose such a path?

00:33Because firstly, apart from writing,

00:35there was nothing else that interested me enough.

00:38I used to write poetry and

00:40as I was writing poems,

00:42somebody suggested that I should rap and I tried to rap.

00:45And then I enjoyed it, so I went with it.

00:48So, so far, everything that I enjoy, I just go with.

00:52There is no conscious choice

00:54that from now on, my career is a profession.

00:57I heard that you were very new to rap

00:58before you actually ventured into MTV Hustle.

01:01But how did Hustle happen for you?

01:03What was that process like?

01:04How did it line up in your journey?

01:06As I started rapping,

01:08I think in a year's time,

01:12I must have written like five or six raps.

01:15That's all.

01:16That's all the rapping I knew.

01:17And I didn't even listen to it.

01:18I only listened to two raps.

01:19So I didn't know any terms, terminologies, nothing.

01:23And till date, I don't know a lot of terms.

01:26So Hustle happened like this,

01:27that again, somebody suggested that

01:30there is a rap show called Hustle.

01:32So if you are into rapping, then you should try.

01:34So I thought, there must be a lot in the world.

01:36I can't do it.

01:38Just another thing, I'm going to try.

01:40And that's how it happened.

01:41Because you were new to this entire field,

01:43did you ever face any form of criticism?

01:45There were some people in the beginning

01:47who said that this woman talks, she doesn't really rap.

01:50What was your reaction to that?

01:53And how do you think you combated it in your own style?

01:56Right now, the popularly known definition is rhythm and poetry.

02:00But that's not the actual definition.

02:03Actually, rap just means to chat.

02:05That's what it means.

02:07And I was doing that.

02:08So let's talk about Main Nahi Toh Kaun.

02:10You performed it on Hustle, but that song blew up.

02:13Like people say, life changes overnight.

02:16So can you give me an example of that after Main Nahi Toh Kaun?

02:19And what was your inspiration while you were creating that song?

02:22A lot of people have changed and a lot of people have

02:26achanak started being interested in how I am, how am I doing.

02:32I wrote that song with the intention to promote the idea

02:38that this popular, this culture is unnecessary.

02:42Like it's absolutely unnecessary.

02:44We don't need it at all.

02:45While I was writing it, I didn't want to sound preachy.

02:50So I decided to twist it.

02:53I'll introduce my song as a diss song

02:55and then I'll give a shout out.

02:57And since it's the most popular song on the show right now,

03:02it just proves my point.

03:03As a female rapper, you've tapped into an unconventional territory, right?

03:08Because there aren't as many female rappers as compared to male rappers.

03:11What was your approach?

03:12Being unconventional is not new to my family or me.

03:16Being a female rapper was also very easy because it's exactly like being a rapper.

03:20So all of that has come very easy to me because that's just who I am.

03:25What would be your message to those who come from, let's say, conservative backgrounds?

03:29One thing that can stop you from doing something new

03:33is the fear of what people will say or how they will receive it.

03:38If I don't get support, all of that.

03:39Before you start doing something unconventional,

03:42take smaller steps, do small things and get used to

03:46becoming this person who just does unconventional things.

03:49And what are your plans for the future?

03:51I want to write everything on earth.

03:55I look at my life as if it's a story.

03:58That's how much my brain is a writer.

04:01Whatever happens in life, it automatically translates into a screenplay in my head.

04:06I mean, that's what I think about my entire life.

04:08Srishti, thank you so much for talking with us.

04:11It's genuinely been a pleasure speaking with you.

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