MUMBAI: Mumbai based hip hop artist Ankur Johar aka Enkore has been delivering soulful Indian and English raps since his first outing in 2008. The energetic performer recently opened the third edition of Breezer Vivid Shuffle in Mumbai. The event saw him grooving to some kick-ass rap including his latest single, Dheet.

“I was looking forward to Breezer Vivid Shuffle because hip hop has a lot of colours in its palette and partying and having fun is an important part of it. It was good coming here, perform, meet people and have some fun,” he spoke in an exclusive chat with Radioandmusic.

His performance was enjoyed with an uproar by the audience present including Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan.

Speaking about his song, Dheet, he exclaimed, “Deet gives a message of not categorising any hip hop artist in a type like a gully rapper, Punjabi or a desi rapper etc. I am a hip hop artist. Nobody can tell me about what I should rap and what I shouldn’t. The chorus is Main bus deet jaise likhte rahu geet, bulaye ise gully ya desi, shit! He got less followers than me, main bus deet jaise likhte rahu geet. We don’t care about the followers, we don’t care about the tags, its about hip hop and rap.”

Watch song here

Enkore shared on what led to him choosing the world of hip hop, “As normal Indians, we don’t have a way to express ourselves or talk about the way we feel. So, I found a way to break out through hip hop and I really like it.”

Further speaking about his forte, the rapper-hip hopper shared, “I am a lyrical MC and I talk about my everyday life just like any other person’s. I also talk about social issues because I feel it’s an important part of our life, which we were not that aware of as kids. So, hip hop is where I learnt how to understand those issues from other artists and also to talk about those issues through my music.

Further commenting on the current hip hop scenario in India, Enkore said, “I think it’s an exciting time for hip hop in India. As Indians, it’s important for us to understand the hip hop culture and not just rap. It’s not just about the big stages and brands, but about the deep rooted culture.”

On being asked if he gets paid the desired amount, he should, the rapper revealed, We always feel that we should be paid more, but there is a hope as they are on the way for a better industry.”

Lastly, Enkore gave a message to budding rappers/hip hoppers, “Do focus on being dope and not necessarily on being rich or famous.”