A year in the making, the wait for India’s premier hip-hop star Divine’s debut album, ‘Kohinoor’, finally got over with the release of the Indian imprint of Nas’ iconic label, Mass Appeal after its launch in India in collaboration with Universal Music Group.

The eight-track album that includes the hip-hop legend Nas on a track showcases different facets of Divine’s personality and skills, and introduces fans and listeners to the world of Vivian Fernandes.

With collaborations at the heart of the album, ‘Kohinoor’ is the mark of an artist who has found his voice and is unafraid to stake his claim on the world.

From working with producers like Grammy Award-winning Ill Wayno who also produced the Nas, Naezy and Divine track, NY Se Mumbai to old-time collaborators Phenom aka Pinaki Rattanand Gully Gang associates like Shah Rule, Aavrutti and D’evil, and names like New York rapper and US hip-hop’s next big thing, Dave East and Carnatic singer and songwriter Sid Sriram, on ‘Kohinoor’listeners get to hear of variety of styles and sounds.

The face of the hip-hop movement in India, ‘Kohinoor’ is an introduction to Divine for the world watching.

Razor sharp words with a bite and set to beats that wouldn’t be out of place in a bar in Brooklyn, all eight tracks on Kohinoor are personal, and an insight into Divine’s world. Like in Kohinoor, where Divine invokes the city he grew up in, his mother, friends and the hip-hop community. Or in Wallah which features Shah Rule, where he talks about how his success drove his friends away. Or Vibe hai, which is his salute to the Gully Gang movement, and his crew. On Remand, Divine’s fiery passion meets Dave East’s street creed.

“This album is a part of me, and a chance for me to tell people my story,” says Divine of ‘Kohinoor’. “I wanted to give my fans my side of the story, to move the curtain and let them see what my life is all about. I have learnt some truths the hard way, and I have no regrets in life. Music wise, I have worked with people that I have a great working relationship with, people who get me like Pinaki aka Phenomor my Gully Gang boys. And I was very clear about the kind of people I wanted on this album. Like Ill Wayno, Dave East and even Sid, who I have wanted to work with for such a long time.”

While the album is packed with sounds and themes that those familiar with Divine have come to expect, it does have a few surprises in store. Like the reggaeton-infused cheeky Chal Bombay, Divine’s first-ever ‘love’ song or the R&B style ‘Too Hype’ with Sid Sriram.

Peter Bittenbender, CEO of Mass Appeal, said, “This is a monumental day for Indian Hip Hop with Divine claiming his rightful spot at the top of the game. For Nas and the team at Mass Appeal India this is an incredibly proud moment as Kohinoor is a perfect body of work to showcase Divine's immense talents and take his music to the world. The best part of Kohinoor is that it's just the beginning for Divine and all we have planned at Mass Appeal India. With a focus on working Divine to the mainstream in the US, Canada and the UK we will showcase just how big this movement truly can get on a global level"

You can listen to the album here:

https://UMGI.lnk.to/Kohinoor_Album