Where Divine is tooting his own horn

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- Bhanuj Kappal

Divine has released his fifth studio album 'Walking on Water'.

(INSTAGRAM/ VIVIANADIVINE)

Deep in the rainforests of Central and South America lives the common basilisk, a largely unremarkable little lizard that has one fantastical ability—when threatened, it can run on water.

Large fringed feet and a peculiar running style allow juvenile basilisks to run across 60ft of water, earning the species the “Jesus lizard” nickname. But as they grow older, larger, slower, this miracle becomes harder and harder to perform. Adults can only keep going for a handful of metres before they sink into the water, once again subject to the laws of physics and vulnerable to the predators that lurk under the surface—no longer the indomitable super-lizards of their youth.

That's quite an apt metaphor for Mumbai rap veteran Divine, who has just released his fifth studio album Walking on Water. For a decade now, he’s been the indisputable top dog of Indian hip-hop, a genre he helped push into the cultural mainstream. He’s put out a steady stream of commercially and critically successful singles and albums, collaborated with global rap icons including Nas, Pusha D and Vince Staples, and his story has inspired an award-winning Bollywood feature film (Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy).