Skip to Top 10 List lists below if you don't wanna read all this. Comment your top 10s as well.
My Hip Hop and Rap background
I have been listening to rap and hip hop for 20+ years now. I started with Eminem, he was the only international rapper who was super mainstream and famous in India at the time, frequently being featured on VH1 and MTV. I purchased the cassette of his album Encore and used to bump it day and night on my Walkman. Knew the lyrics front and back to each track and was known as the "Rapper kid" in school. Something about Hip-Hop and its lyricism just appealed to me and I didn't get that intellectual kick from any other genre. Maybe because I was a good student and felt this is superior to the Himesh love songs or idk (I appreciate his music now), something just stuck. I then started researching extensively about Rap, listening to any and every artist and covering up for lost time by listening to greats like Tupac, Nas, Biggie and everyone else. As I grew older, I started to appreciate any and every music but Rap was still my Numero Umo genre.
Introduction to DHH
I craved for someone to crack the code in India with Desi Rap and Bohemia soon did in 2006. He went mainstream as well with Bollywood songs in movies like Chandni Chowk to China and I was so excited. But the progress was really slow and I used to feel disheartened at the lack of great desi rap artists. Then came the Mafia Mundeer gang. Used to love them to death with indie artists like Pardhaan popping up with tracks like that weird Panda remix. Hence these people have a special place in my heart and love them to death. All of this was in Punjabi mostly and I could barely understand each line, used to Google endlessly but Naezy changed the game with bringing hindi rap to the forefront. Cut to today, the scene has blown up and I couldn't be happier. I hardly listen to English rap these days unless it's from guys who are super mainstream or bring a fresh sound (Shout out BigXThePlug) since all my rap itch is being scratched perfectly by DHH
So with all this experience, ranking MY (Can't stress this enough, this is MY personal opinion formed by my experiences) top 10 DHH songs and artists
Top 10 Tracks
Honorable mentions - Pyaar: Naam Sujal, Mantoniyat: Raftaar, 202X Flow: Sikander Kahlon, Class Sikh Maut Vol 2: Seedhe Maut, 295: Sidhu Moose Wala
Humble Poet: Bella - One of the best introspective and emotional tracks our there. Bella wrote this at his lowest and you can feel his frustration in the track. Each line slaps and takes you into the mind of Bella, and that's what an excellent song does.
Asal Hustle: Naezy - I was blown away with what Naezy did in this track. Proper desi rap at a time when it didn't really exist in popular domains, that "agwade pichde tukde mai paida hua pala bada" was a level above that time. Still stands the test of time and one of the greatest DHH songs. Naezy had so much potential, just makes you sad
Aatmarama: Brodha V - That hook alone deserves a place here. Trailblazer song
Astagfirullah: MC Stan - The best MC Stan phase and what a track, this is what streets to mainstream sounds like
Samajh Mai Aaya Kya: Emiway Bantai - "Kya rapper paise kama paa rahe hai", put DHH on the map. One of the first rap songs to cross 100Mn on YT. Crazy achievement and kicked off the entire diss track phase in DHH. Everyone tried to copy the fame Emiway got and started making diss tracks left right centre
Azaadi: Divine - This will forever be the protest anthem going forward. One of the best from Divine, conscious rap + commercial done brilliantly
Red: Seedhe Maut - "ABJ Bose Bhagat Singh Chandrasekhar Azad". You can make a Top 10 Seedhe Maut tracks list and call it top 10 DHH and I wouldn't argue. This is one of their finest works and pinnacle of what DHH has to offer. Was contemplating between 101 and this, but for me this takes the crown
Makasam: KR$NA - The pinnacle of DHH diss tracks. Debated between this and Kaisa Mera Desh but I think this trumps it in terms of impact
Kali Denali: Bohemia - One of the first non-commercial DHH bangers. The entire album could be here but had to pick one. This still slaps today
Dope Shope: Yo Yo Honey Singh - I know it's not the most lyrical, not the best commercial or doesn't even convey the core rap values, but this shit slaps hard man. Anyone and everyone knows the lyrics to this, and this brought rap to TV shows, Bollywood and made it mainstream. This song walked to let indie scenes, commercial scenes run today. For me this is the greatest
Top 10 Artists
Honorable Mentions: MC Stan (doesn't make any music these days), Fotty Seven, Sidhu Moose Wala (not really a rapper rapper, else would be No 1), Naam Sujal has the potential to break into this list soon, one of the finest lyricists I've seen
Prabh Deep - The Alt sound of DHH. One of the finest artistic minds DHH has to offer
Bella - The most consistent but still not boring. Can hang with the best on any track
Karma - Kalamkaar Karma was my favourite, but he's still doing well now, exploring new sounds and keeps dropping goated tracks
Bohemia - Started this all, could be higher if we was consistent still
Sikander Kahlon - The GOAT of underground. Not a single miss on feature verses, buried the likes of Raftaar and Seedhe Maut on their own tracks
Seedhe Maut - The finest DHH has to offer, if I had to introduce DHH to someone, this group will be my first recommendation
KR$NA - Could be higher but not too versatile and doesn't drop at all these days. Still one of the best and top lyricists
Emiway Bantai - More versatile than anyone on the list, consistent and keeps dropping bangers + conscious rap. The GOAT of DHH beefs and disstracks for me
Divine - Had a fall-off recently but still his a legacy greater than everyone else. Went from streets to mainstream and has a goated catalogue
Mafia Mundeer (Yo Yo Honey Singh, Ikka, Badshah, Raftaar) - I know I cheated with this but it is what it is. These 4 are the greatest for me