Ranveer Singh's Hip-Hop Dreams

Why Bollywood’ biggest star launched a music label and signed rappers Kaam Bhaari, Spitfire and SlowCheeta.

- Nirmika Singh

At our last cover shoot with Ranveer Singh in November 2017, you could feel the actor had started to ‘become’ more hip-hop. He spoke different, dressed different and casually spat verses by rap poster boys Divine and Naezy between shots. His next film Gully Boy had just been announced and Singh — who grew up listening to Dr. Dre, The Notorius B.I.G, Tupac Shakur, Nas, Eminem — was indulging himself in all things hip-hop.

During our two -hour conversation that followed that shoot, he had rattled off an exhaustive list of dreams. “I want to write film scripts, I want to try my hand at composing music, I want to be a music director and I want to direct a film. I am not a good singer, but I can rap. I want to mentor promising creative talent and I want to be a channel, a conduit and facilitator of creation. I have always wanted to start a scriptwriters’ consortium. I wish to even have a record label. I want to be a multifaceted creative entity,” he said.

Less than 18 months since that chat, Singh has managed to achieve some if not all of those goals. Recently, the actor announced his own hip-hop label IncInk in partnership with friend and filmmaker Navzar Eranee. The first three artists signed to it include rappers Kunal Pandagale aka Kaam Bhaari and Nitin Mishra aka Spitfire (both of who featured on the Gully Boy soundtrack), and actor Chaitnya Sharma’s rap alter ego SlowCheeta.

Says Singh, “My involvement in IncInk is all heart. It is only passion and nothing else. I don’t expect to gain anything — na paisa na naam (I am seeking neither fame nor money). I love the music these artists are making. They have so much to say and the world needs to hear them. And if I can do anything for them, I’m all for it!”