HipHop is Alive and Kicking in Pakistan
Hiphop is a cultural segment that we mostly associate with the west, without realizing that it has quite successfully made inroads in Pakistan. This does not mean that it is being copy pasted here, the artists involved are very much creating original content and adding the local flavor to this global community.
Mashable Pakistan got to talk to one of the leading hiphop artist of the country, Khudaish Aseem Gulzar, popularly known as Taishi.
Talking about how he got interested in hiphop, Taishi shared that from as long as he can remember, he has been interested in dancing and used to dance like crazy, whenever he came across his jam, not giving any hoot about the location of the number of people around. He chanced upon breakdancing (aka bboying) and was really inspired by Step Up 2; to the extent that he would attempt (and initially failing) to copy their moves.
“I spent a lot of time on YouTube, watching breakdance videos and telling my brother how I’ll do all of this one day.”
He started bboying in 2012 without knowing what HipHop culture was. It was in 2014 that he was introduced to the concept and started researching its culture, lifestyle and roots.
“The more I learned, the more involved I got and just fell in love. The freedom, style of expression and its ability to bring people together more than any religion or culture, is just so beautiful. It had me hooked and it was only a matter of time till I started living that lifestyle as well. From the way I talk, the way I walk, how I dress from my hat to my sock, the way I rock with every tick of the clock. Hiphop changed my life and shaped me into who I am today.”
Bboy Taishi has also represented Pakistan at international platforms twice, managing his own expenses, competing at SoleDxb hiphop festival. He got meet and learn from some of the major names in the global industry including icons like Divine, Wu Tang Clan, Joey Badass, Nas, Asap Rocky, Giggs, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and others. The stories he got to exchange and the experience he gained through this exposure, he brought back and shared with the local community, helping them further build their craft.
Given his passion for hiphop, one would expect him to be doing this full time as a profession. However, like it is the case of art forms in general here, one has to balance one’s passion with a source of income. So, while hiphop is a full-time thing for him, where he is always planning his events, and skills but he has to balance it with a nine-hour regular job which he has been doing for the last five years.
Talking about hiphop being a source of income, he shared that he and his crew are getting there. People in the industry now know that they are unique and bring something special to the table.
As for where hiphop stands in the country and its future, he is of the opinion that there is a long way to go. Things have surely improved from when he started out but there is a lot of room for improvement when compared at the global platform. Three years ago, he was the only one organizing hiphop jams in Karachi with his crew with all its various aspects; rappers, beat-boxers, dancers, graffiti artists and DJs. However, now there are others as well organizing holistic jams not only in Karachi but Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan as well.
“People reach out to me saying that my work has inspired them. It’s a huge movement now that can’t be stopped. A movement I call “ EHl_E_Taishi”.
Sharing his journey of forming his current crew, Taishi shared; “Ya salaam!! Anarchy, is one of the things that I’m most proud of. We started out as two crews, Fresh Souls and Junior Jabbz who knew each other and were collaborating quite often. Our discussions often revolved around how one day we’ll change the hiphop scene in the country. In 2018, after my birthday hiphop jam party, we ended up officially deciding to join forces and this is how Anarchy (Taishi, Azhar, Naqi, Anas and Rocky), came into being and as they say rest is history.”
The crew has since then been actively involved in strengthening the hiphop culture in the country. They have not limited themselves to just performing but have diversified into teaching through workshops and are quite active in the street shows, flash mobs and festivals circuit. The mainstream industry needs to recognize the potential and respect the talent. As Taishi also pointed out, the unfortunate general norm is that musicians and production teams underpay the dancers, using the age old, not enough budget as the scapegoat. Their skill set needs to be respected. Collaborations are the future and successful ones can only happen when there is mutual appreciation.
“We stated off as a dance crew and then evolved into a movement that is here to revolutionize the hiphop scene in Pakistan. This is our collective dream.”
Originally published at https://pk.mashable.com on March 4, 2020.
