Music
This Is My Hood: Gubbi
Bengaluru’s Karthik Sundar Gubbi decided to become a full-time Kannada rapper after a producer told him he would never be successful doing it.
I started rapping because of Eminem. I watched his movie 8 Mile in 11th grade and was left completely mesmerised by rap and hip-hop.
Initially, I only had two Eminem songs - ‘Lose Yourself’ and ‘The Real Slim Shady’. One summer vacation, a friend gifted me a CD with all the Eminem songs he had; that's when I lost my mind. I remember standing in front of the mirror in my bedroom, trying to imitate Eminem’s style. So my home in SG Palya is the starting point of my rap career.
I was studying in Christ Junior College for 11th and 12th grade. At the time, a friend named Harshita explained what rap music is all about while we were sitting in the classroom. I had also written a passage about it in the last page of my notebook. So this classroom in Christ Junior College has also been an important part of my story.
A year later, when I started studying in Oxford College of Engineering, I also started writing my own lyrics in English and taking part in text battles on Orkut. We would be given a date and time for our battle, and we had to be ready with our rhymes. These battles were always on my mind, so much so that I would be writing battle rhymes on my question paper when answering an exam.
When I was in my second year in engineering college, I used to play a lot of basketball. We would play in college and at Baby Mona Basketball court in Koramangala. Between games, I'd freestyle rap about people or things around me. It was almost like being in a cypher.
I was writing and rapping in English at the time because that’s what had influenced me. But then I wanted to experiment with rapping in Kannada, and there was no one to look up to. So I had to create my own style and flow.
With time, people started to appreciate my Kannada rap. But when I approached a producer to work with me, he said Kannada rap would never become successful. I took offence to that and decided to prove him wrong by becoming the most successful Kannada rapper he had heard of.
When I was part of the text battle scene, my rapping name was Karnage. But when I started rapping in Kannada in 2011, I thought the name Karnage didn't make sense anymore. It was around the year 2014 that people started calling me Gubbi. Gubbi is the name of my hometown and also my surname. So I decided to change my stage name to Gubbi.
Early in my career, I didn’t get support from my friends. But I met a rapper named Big Deal, and we became really good friends. We sit in his bedroom studio in Arekere very often, just discussing music and throwing around ideas. Big Deal has produced most of my debut album, Who Are You? Nannu Gubbi! We recorded in AudioKraft Studios in HSR Layout and applied the final touches in Big Deal’s home studio in Arekere.
I have also been collaborating with singer Madhura Gowda for a long time. We have been sharing the stage for about two years now as the hip-hop act called MG and Gubbi. We call the Café Coffee Day at Jayanagar as our adda because it is where we have sat and worked for hours. Most of our ideas for our performances have come from drinking coffee in this shop.
But I’m not always sitting in air-conditioned rooms to come up with my music. I often enjoy a cup of tea from a roadside stall near my home in SG Palya when I meet with my beatmaker Sai Menon, aka The Sound of Sa. That chai shop is one of my go to places to meet with collaborators and just have a chat over a cup of tea.
When I look back at my career, I think my favourite work is my music video for the song ‘AMMA’. This song changed me as an artist. A lot of people worked on this video for free because the song moved them and they wanted to work on it as a tribute to their own mother. The reaction the music video got from people helped me really see myself differently. I stopped thinking of myself as just a rapper and more as a musician.
Check out the photos below to see my hood.
The street where Gubbi grew up in SG Palya
© Abhishek Shukla
This is the street on which I live in SG Palya. The house on the right is where I grew up and wrote many of my rap songs, perfecting my performance style in front of my mirror in my bedroom.
Shree Krishna Kafe in Koramangala
© Abhishek Shukla
I often visit Shree Krishna Kafe in Kormangala to have masala dosa and coffee. I always start the day by drinking filter coffee here because it sets me up to be creative. I think up many topics for my songs here.
Baby Mona Basketball court in Koramangala where Gubbi would freestyle rap
© Abhishek Shukla
I used to play basketball until second year of engineering college. I would wake up at 5am to play at the Baby Mona Basketball court in Koramangala. Between matches I would freestyle rap with my friends. This basketball court has been one of the early locations of my rap career.
Mural near Jyoti Nivas College in Koramangala
© Abhishek Shukla
Linkin Park and Eminem influenced me to become a musician. That’s why I love this mural near Jyoti Nivas College. I first heard about rap music in 11th grade. I have a tattoo which says “Chester R.I.P.” and looking at this mural inspires me to keep writing good music.
Classroom in Christ Junior College at Hosur Road
© Abhishek Shukla
This is my classroom in Christ Junior College where I learned the meaning of rap. A classmate named Harshita had explained rap music to me in 2005, and I had written a passage about it in the last page of my notebook. I wrote my first lines of rap in this classroom a few months after that conversation.
Tea shop near Gubbi’s home where he catches up with The Sound of Sa.
© Abhishek Shukla
This chai shop is a few lanes away from my house in SG Palya. This is where I discuss music with my beatmaker Sai Menon, aka The Sound of Sa. It’s a cool spot, so we like to freestyle here as well.
Cafe Coffee Day in Jayanagar where Gubbi and Madhura Gowda discuss music
© Abhishek Shukla
One of my long-time collaborators has been Madhura Gowda. We’ve performed together as MG and Gubbi for about two years. The Cafe Coffee Day outlet at Jayanagar is our regular meeting point. We’ve spent many hours here, writing music, structuring our performances, and scheduling our jams.
The home of rapper Big Deal in Arekere
© Abhishek Shukla
One of the most important locations in my career is the home or rapper Big Deal in Arekere. He is one of the dopiest rappers I know and the producer for most of the songs on my debut album. He has mixed all the songs on the album from right here in his bedroom.
Gubbi records his music at AudioKraft Studios in HSR Layout
© Abhishek Shukla
AudioKraft is one of the finest studios in the city. It is where I recorded the songs from my debut album, Who Are You? Nannu Gubbi! The studio owner is Gagan Baderia, and a good friend who has allowed me to use his amazing space for hours, sometimes without charge.
