(August 24, 2024) The daredevils on motorbikes using centrifugal force to drive on the near-vertical walls of barrel-shaped structures is a popular stunt at carnivals in India. And it’s this very maut ka kuan (well of death) that forms the backdrop of the viral hit – Big Dawgs by Indian rapper Hanumankind. Within a month of its release, the single has caused a stir in the international music community with its groovy tunes and death-defying stunts. The Kerala-born rapper has rapidly risen to global fame, making his debut at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100. With over 54 million views on YouTube, the smashing hit surpassed Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us to grab the 11th spot on the Spotify Global Top 50 chart.
Responding to getting worldwide acclaim, he said in an interview, “It’s been crazy. But I’m just a rapper from India. I get it — I am from here. But I’m just someone that’s making art from a different side of the world. I have my own personal journey.”
Even Anand Mahindra is super impressed by the Indian rapper. He took to X to spotlight the artist, “Rap may not be for everyone, but this guy from Kerala & now Bengaluru via Texas is popping eyes across to US for his authentic sound & his extraordinary, raw videos.”
Have posted recently about astonishingly talented young women of Indian origin making waves in indigenous American music genres.
Now here’s Sooraj Cherukat, @Hanumankind1 @hanumankind (Insta) who’s rapping his way to global recognition.
Rap may not be for everyone, but this… pic.twitter.com/4udUHqSjHK
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 28, 2024
The 31-year-old breakthrough artist has gained international fame in no time, with his song being generously shared across TikTok, Instagram, and X. But pursuing music was never on the mind of Sooraj Cherukat, who goes by the stage name Hanumankind.
Global influence
Born in Kerala, Sooraj moved around Middle and Africa owing to his dad’s job at an oilfield company before settling in Houston, Texas, where he spent his formative years. It was here that he was introduced to Southern hip hop as he grew up listening to artists like TidexX, Three 6 Mafia, and Project Pat. Growing up in a traditional family that wanted him to study well, get a job, buy a home, get married, and have kids, he decided to chart his own path. He returned to India in 2012 to pursue a degree in Business Administration from PSG College in Coimbatore. He landed a job at Goldman Sachs, spending his 9-to-5 in the corporate world while moonlighting as Hanumankind. In 2019, he released his first single Daily Dose, a part of his debut EP Kalari.
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For the next five years, he kept belting out popular songs like Genghis, Skyline, Damnson, Southside, and Rush Hour, amassing a massive fan following in India. But it’s Big Dawgs that catapulted him into the international music scene for its beats and stunning video.
Big Dawgs – The song that changed it all
Shot in the coastal district of Ponnani – also known as the Mecca of Kerala, the video directed by Bijoy Shetty is a perfect blend of desi swagger and western beats. Talking about why he chose this location, Hanumankind told Rolling Stone, “A lot of things are happening in this video. But mainly, if you want something, take that risk, man, or else it won’t happen. Even if you fail, it’s still the act of doing. For me, even if this video didn’t work out, I get to tell my grandchildren that I actually sat inside the well of death and did this. At the very least, if nothing worked out, I’m happy about that.”
Interestingly, it was a Zoom call between Kalmi and Hanumankind that led to the birth of Big Dawgs. “We were just trying to build a habit of making music without any intention, without any weight behind it, and see what happens. It took some 30 minutes for us to put together the beat, I wrote, and it rolled out,” revealed Hanumankind, who calls himself spiritual.
Desi heart and soul
Revealing the inspiration behind his stage name, he said that Hanuman is a name that many people know. “It’s something that everyone can associate with being Indian. And mankind is the rest of the world. It was a combination of both things. To bring two things together in a way that ties into my purpose.”
Having lived in the US for a larger part, he is still considered an NRI. Though he has a thick American accent, Hanumankind is fluent in Malayalam, his mother tongue. “That’s something that’s helped me because I came here and built myself into the community.” He lived in Bangalore, attended university there for a while, and spent time traveling and immersing himself in life back home in India. At the end of 2012, he had the option to move back to the United States, but he chose to stay. “It’s now been 12 years since, and it’s been beautiful.”
It’s been five years since Hanumankind dropped his first single, and the artist calls hip-hop scene in India “absolutely thriving.” Since hip-hop is about telling a story, he finds many artists who have much to say and completely nailing the genre.
With a big hit to his name now, Hanumankind is not succumbing to the pressure of belting out another banger soon. “I want to push myself creatively, spiritually, mentally, everything. I want to develop my art and do it the way I want to. I know I can do better. There’s so much more I can do. This is not the peak of it all,” he said, adding, “I’m blessed to say that this happened, but these things come and go. I have goals and dreams and aspirations of being a version of myself.”
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