One of the many highlights at the recently concluded Music Inc two day conference held at the JW Marriott in Juhu, was the premiere screening of ‘Gully Life – The Story of Divine’ in the presence of the rapper himself Vivian Fernandes aka Divine. Produced by Supari Studios in association with Red Bull Media House, the Akshat Gupt directed documentary showcases the rise of India’s own hip-hop legend.

Over the course of the fifty-minute-long film, viewers were introduced to some of the most important people in Divine’s life, from his mother, with whom he is especially close, to the friends he grew up with and who remain his closest aides, and taken on his remarkable journey, evolving from a teenager discovering hip-hop to the icon he is today.

Post the screening, Rolling Stone India’s executive editor Nirmika Singh took the stage with the hip hop star for a one on one chat on Divine’s course to stardom and his new film. Known as the Fireside Chat, the artist’ ascent has been no ordinary chronicle. His journey subverted conventional stereotypes, coinciding with the growth of desi hip-hop in India. And while Bollywood’s 2018 film ‘Gully Boy’ (inspired by the lives of Divine and fellow Mumbai rapper Naezy) touts mainstream acclaim and reinvention of hip-hop’s national perception, the new film ‘Gully Life’ puts the artist in a totally new perspective.

Talking on the word Gully and what it meant to him, Divine stated that Gully was something that he saw around himself all the time. “Gully is passion for me; gully is inspiration for me, and something very close to me. All this is what really inspired me. Whatever I could see around me, listen to and feel was the Gully. My vision is was what I worked on and it’s something you will always get something out of”.

When asked on what direction his life took for him in his initial years and once he got the name and fame, he shyly stated. “I only could make music. I really had no plan on what I wanted to do in my life.  I think you should just try once to in your life, to see if you really like what you are doing and you will realize what you want. I just made these songs and look how it has grown, Look at Raftaar’s song Sheikh Chilli and my song Apna Time Aayega, they are all gone so huge. It is played in the streets, in clubs and it’s only going to get bigger in sometime. You just have to wait and watch.”

Today Divine is a name that is synonymous with rap music in India alongside a handful of fellow musicians. He’s also credited as one that’s putting hip-hop from the country on the map. He has gone onto touring around the world, has been featured on a BBC Radio show, been the inspiration for a Bollywood feature film, contributed music to a few, and now even runs his own company/record label. From his mega-hit Mere Gully Mein which featured Naezy to his full fledged movie, he has truly arrived.

Commenting on how hip hop has taken the country by storm, he quipped. “I have embraced hip hop as a genre, as a dance and now you see there are dance movies on hip hop, rap. With the internet you can watch whatever you want and when you want and also know if the song is making a mark or not. We are making our own music and no one can tell us what to do. There has to be a time to take a chance on what you do. It is solely our work, no one else’s and you have to be honest with what you are doing”.

Divine’s inspiration stems from all quarters, from those he works with to what he sees around. “I work with people who have the same vibe and they are very humble. There are so many in the country that are doing a very great job, amazingly talented. I think we have to concentrate on making good music and I think the rest will follow”.

Divine has become the face of a community with a lot of responsibility, and many now look up to him with envy. Singh commented on his gold chain and the P cap he sports that evokes a style quotient.  The mainly Hindi speaking rapper laughed and said “I love wearing gold”. Divine’s credits his success not only to himself and his hard work, but also his team who has supported him all through. “Its not just Meri Gully Mein or a few other songs that have you will love; it’s the whole part of what I talk about”.

Singh couldn’t help asking the young rapper what was his most humbling experience so far. He shot back immediately. “The feeling when I am on stage is the best feeling or the best high I have felt when people sing the lyrics back at you, I think that is the best thing about being an artiste.”

Something that everyone was anticipating to know was when Divine would release an album and right enough that was Singh’s next question to him. “Yes this is my first big project and it’s been 8 years now and so I have around 20 – 25 tracks. I have access to all the best musicians and I really want to make an album that everyone will remember. The album name is Kohinoor”.

As for the future, he stated that there are a few gigs coming up all over the country and he’s gearing up for it.

At the Q & A segment where the audience members also had a chance (maybe the only chance to see Divine up close) to question him, many hands went up in the audience. When an audience member asked him on the computer generated effects in the film, and if it was an afterthought to include or not, the hip-hop icon replied, “The computer generated effects were made simultaneously with making of the film. These are parts where I have no photos to share with the director and so he came up with the idea and we went ahead. Since they date back to my younger days, the best way to showcase it was as a cartoon styled feature shot”.

The session ended with Singh requesting the rapper to sing a few lines from his song. The crowd erupted with joy and loud applause.

For those who were not privileged to watch ‘Gully Life – The Story of Divine’ at its preview at Music Inc, watch it when it airs on the Discovery Network on 1^st July, 2019.

By Verus Ferreira