Rapper KR$NA has been active in Indian hip-hop for nearly two decades, delivering some seminal hits. But last month, one of his tracks crossed over from rap to the world of activism. Boom Shaka, the rapper’s latest single, became the anthem for the student protests held across the country in June and July. On YouTube, it went viral, with comments referring to the protest. The rapper said he was caught unawares.
KR$NA on Boom Shaka becoming the protest anthem
In a chat with Hindustan Times, he says he had ‘no idea’ the song would take this shape. “Ye gaana usse thoda pehle aaya tha (This song had just come out), but it just happened since it was already picking up on social media at that time. Meta pe already trending tha gaana,” he says.
Boom Shaka released on April 28, and had generated significant buzz within the first month of its release, but it really took off only after Reels set to the song were used in videos from student protests at Jantar Mantar and other places in India. As of August 21, Boom Shaka has 76 million views on YouTube, becoming one of KR$NA’s most-widely viewed music videos.
‘Michael Jackson ko kahan pata tha…’
KR$NA’s fellow rapper Raftaar, who is judging the show Legacy with him, equates this boom of Boom Shaka to the resurgence of Michael Jackson’s Beat It after his biopic. “Michael Jackson ko kahan pata tha ki 2026 mein be dobara se number one ho jaayega dobara Beat It (Did Michael Jackson know that Beat It would be number one again in 2026).” Nodding in agreement, KR$NA adds, “Basically it’s just (the right) time and place sometimes.”
Raftaar talks about rap being at the forefront of rebellion, saying the emotion is at the core of hip-hop. “It’s not just against a human being. It’s not only political. It’s probably just about where he or she is in life at the moment and their circumstances. Without rebellion, you will never indulge in the art of rap,” he says.
KR$NA says the journey of rap in India, evident by the use of songs in such acts of rebellion, is different from that in the West. “Rap didn’t come out of rebellion in India. In fact, the first big wave of hip-hop in India was very commercial. Yes, there was an underground movement that us rappers were aware of. But here, the journey of rap has been in reverse, from commercial to the underground.
Currently, Raftaar and KR$NA are judging Legacy, a show aimed at finding the next generation of hip-hop artistes in the country. Legacy streams on Zee5 and on Kalamkaar’s YouTube channel.