Delhi’s low-key hip-hop scene could get a boost, thanks to a young Iraqi MC’s efforts
“There ain’t no other land like the motherland,” says Mohammed Abood, who remembers Iraq as a beautiful place that used to be full of life and energy. A silence lingers in the air when he talks about things that have changed after the war. However, for the 21-year-old curly haired MC-cum-DJ, Delhi is “home” now and he is full of plans of making a difference to the desi hip-hop industry. “That’s a huge task, the crowd here is more entertained by Hindi songs.
I want to get people interested in the right kind of hip-hop sound,” says Abood. So what is the right kind? “Not the commercial stuff you see on TV. Hip-hop is not about the bitches and the riches. Being an Iraqi living in Delhi, I have been exposed to many different cultures, this gives me an ability to relate to rap songs as well as to deliver messages when I perform for a crowd,” says Abood, who with his friend Amit aka Risk is managing AfterShock Records in India and is on the hunt to promote new, underground talent.
Abood started freestyling with his elder brother Noor-al-din while they were teenagers. In 1996, the day Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls got shot became a turning point for Abood, and he found himself taking to rap and hip-hop in a major way. It wasn’t before long that he took on other freestylers in battle on Freestyle Friday-s, one of the Capital’s earliest rap/hip-hop nights at RPM’s old outlet near Chanakyapuri.
“I was known as MC Shorty because I am very short but freestyling came naturally to me. It’s poetry, and only a little abusive,” grins Abood. But Abood has now re-invented himself as DJ MoCity and for the past two years has been producing his own beats, which later resulted in mixing, while rapping and freestyling has taken a backseat. “One has to grow within the genre and the more I understand what goes inside a record studio, the better I will get in honing my skills,” says Abood. As a part of AfterShock Records, he hopes to discover new “real” acts in the city, acts who are not commercial and are not solely driven by the money. “We want to provide a platform for Delhi’s youth to perform and exhibit their talent and also network with people who are interested in the same kind of music”, states Abood.
So, if you’re a bathroom singer or upcoming DJ, MC, singer or dancer, watch out for AfterShock’s freestyle night. To be held on 11 July, it will host a freestyle battle and the winner wins a recording session for a single with After Shock Records. Peace out.
