Raftaar, KR$NA Discuss India’s Hip-Hop Boom and Global Ambitions
Raftaar, KR$NA and Ankit Khanna discuss the rapid growth of Indian hip-hop, regional sounds, virality, lyricism and the race for global recognition.
India’s hip-hop scene has expanded rapidly, with regional artists and Indian-language rap becoming increasingly important to the genre’s growth. Rappers Raftaar and KR$NA, along with Ankit Khanna, discussed this evolution as reality show Legacy received more than 15,000 applications from aspiring artists.
Raftaar recalled how hip-hop initially reached Indian audiences largely through dance before rap developed its own identity. He said artists today have access to an ecosystem that was missing when he started, allowing new talent to release music and find audiences more easily.
KR$NA credited the internet with accelerating this growth. He noted that Indian hip-hop initially relied heavily on English-language music, which limited its reach. The genre expanded significantly once Hindi and other Indian languages became more prominent.
Khanna highlighted the growing influence of regional scenes, pointing to artists emerging from Gujarat, the Northeast, eastern India and southern states. This expansion, he said, has made Indian hip-hop far more diverse than the scene once dominated by a few major cities.
The rappers also discussed the relationship between virality and lyricism. KR$NA maintained that strong writing remains central to rap, while Raftaar said unexpected viral moments can create opportunities for artists to establish their own sound.
On global recognition, they agreed there is no formula for creating an international hit. Hanumankind’s Big Dawgs was cited as an example of a song that found worldwide success without being engineered specifically for the global market.
For Raftaar, genuine audience connection matters more than algorithms, views or streams. Indian hip-hop’s strongest route to global recognition, he suggested, could simply be making music that feels authentic.
