Music
PAV4N returns to his roots for life after Foreign Beggars
The pioneering rapper sets out on a spiritual journey as he debuts a new 'living art' project.
At the end of last year, after 17 years on the circuit, UK hip-hop and grime crew Foreign Beggars called it a day.
Now, founding member PAV4N is embarking on a new solo venture -- and introducing a new artistic outlook.
PAV4N is a 'living art piece', and sees the Dubai-born pioneer seeking to reconnect with his musical, cultural, and spiritual roots in India.
The first outing is with KARMA: a righteous diatribe that pairs conscious lyricism and double-time flows with a contemporary trap beat.
The project lands at a particularly fertile moment for Indian rap music, with the scene known as Gully Rap blossoming in recent years and now tussling for attention with the nation's other favoured pastimes of cricket and cinema.
Last year, Gully Boy -- a Hindi-language film chronicling the travails of aspiring rapper from the Mumbai slums, and inspired by the stories of real-life rappers DIVINE and Naezy -- became the seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, and was put forward as the Indian entry for the Oscars' International Feature Film category.
Get a first look at KARMA's cinematic music video below -- shot on location in Vrindavan, Mathura, and New Delhi -- and read on to find out more about the PAV4N project, his newfound nomadic lifestyle, and why India's rap movement is so vital.
This is your first outing since the end of Foreign Beggars. What's changed?
PAV4N: Everything! The story of a perpetual foreigner continues!
I packed up my whole life in the UK and am still on the move, currently living between Goa and Mumbai in India.
Even through the whirlwind of dropping the last Foreign Beggars album, touring the world and moving countries, I’ve had a lot of time for introspection and have found a deeper purpose that goes beyond the music.
Apart from combining art, theatre and fashion with the music I’m making, I’ve also found a way to make tangible changes for people who need help through an initiative called The YEH YEH Project that provides [clean] water to those that have none.
There's plenty of mythological and cultural symbolism going on in the Karma video -- how important is this to your new direction?
P: The cultural references play a big part in the message and aesthetic, and many of the sounds are inspired by Indian music and movements.
We are living in a time of deeper divide and I feel that a universal message is important and the unifying aspects of my heritage speak to me.
I also feel that for far too long, people from the Indian subcontinent have been pigeon-holed in popular culture, and I wanna change that perception and show the beauty, strength and diversity of our heritage and culture.
Rap music is having a moment in India. What do you think's behind its growth in popularity?
P: Hip hop has always been a voice for the voiceless. Orientalism, western standards of beauty and patriarchal roles have reigned supreme for so long and people just don’t see themselves on TV, on that stage, on that screen.
I feel that young struggling people have been craving something that represents them, and the freedom to speak their truths without being censored.
Hip hop is the perfect form of expression. It used to be that only certain people had the means to amplify their message – but now everyone has a voice. Hip hop, amplified by the internet, is the medium.
Who else in the Indian rap scene is exciting you right now?
P: Right now, Azadi Records, Seedhe Maut in particular, and MC Altaf & Loka.
I was fortunate to hear the new Raftaar album which is about to do some serious damage; Ahmer from Kashmir has just dropped an incredible project; Prabh Deep; 5:55 crew from Nepal are on some next level too.
I helped A&R a couple tracks on the Naezy album as well, linking him with UK producers like Compa.
Divine is the homie from day one and him signing to Nas’ Mass Appeal imprint is absolutely proof that there are some serious things happening out here. It’s a beautiful time to see REAL music flourishing.
