Indian rap becomes powerful tool of activism for artists hit by deadly Covid pandemic

With live performances cancelled, the financial and mental health toll is at an all-time high among rap artists in India, as Peony Hirwani reports

File image: Rapper Hanumankind performing in front of a live audience before the Covid 19 pandemic (Hanumankind/ Nitin Sharma/Instagram )

Indian rap artists, hit hard during a difficult year of the coronavirus pandemic, are using hip-hop to create activism and awareness around the crisis and give voice to their angst.

With live performances cancelled, the mental health toll is at an all-time high and the entire industry is enduring the full impact of the global health, social, and economic crisis, artists say.

Indian rapper, Naveen Koomar told The Independent he was motivated to write a rap describing his family’s experience during the pandemic.