MUMBAI: Poet, lyricist and leading industry expert Nirmika Singh graced the grand finale of the disruptive hip-hop reality series MTV Hustle 2.0 last weekend. The pop culture multi-hyphenate has for long chronicled and invested in India’s rich hip-hop scene, particularly as the Executive Editor of Rolling Stone India — the native edition of the iconic magazine. Singh was seen interacting with the five finalists of MTV Hustle 2.0 — Spectra, GRAVITY, Nazz, Paradox and MC Square — ahead of taking to the stage of India’s only hip-hop musical reality show.

Head judge and global music heavyweight Badshah welcomed Singh to the stage where he said that “if an artist impresses Nirmika Singh, then the artist is considered to be industry-ready!”. Badshah also went on to praise Rolling Stone India’s role in shaping and fostering Indian hip-hop by calling the magazine, led by Singh as the editor, “the authority” and the “best in the business.” Expressing her gratitude and delight to see new, rising and legendary hip-hop talent on MTV Hustle 2.0, Singh commended the spirit of and the revolution that the genre born in the Bronx has stirred in India.

Singh also spoke about how poetry and rap are intertwined on the stage of MTV Hustle 2.0. Both art forms share a long history of impacting the masses as well as technical rules and traditions. Singh went on to perform two verses from her viral poem “Khoobsoorat” for which she received a standing ovation from everyone present for the grand finale of MTV Hustle 2.0. She dedicated this verse to artists, their hustle, their art and to staying authentic, true and unstoppable. “Jo ho amar aur befikar/Main us kala ki soorat hoon/Haan aaj main khoobsoorat hoon (I am the face of a talent that is so eternal and fearless, it assumes beauty in my form,)” she belted on the MTV Hustle 2.0 stage.

The artist and industry expert also declared that all the finalists were winners in their own right, irrespective of whom among them took the title of the victor. Singh’s words left a palpable imprint on the judges, contestants and audience of the show. Her presence on MTV Hustle 2.0 was a positive one that affirmed the reality series’ popularity and legacy for the years to come.