Raftaar: ‘My music has always been about my life, my surroundings and my reality’

Rapper Dilip Nair aka Raftaar.

Considered one of the gems of India’s hip-hop fraternity, Dilin Nair a.k.a Raftaar. His latest single titled Ghana Kasoota, with Rashmeet Kaur providing the female vocals, has crossed 50 million views on YouTube. The Delhi boy who gained popularity after releasing Swag Mera Desi in 2013, spoke about the track, associations and acting offers. Edited excerpts:

Can you tell us what 'Ghana Kasoota' means and what was the inspiration for the song?

You might have heard people use terms like full power or bahot hard to denote how awesome something is. That’s what Ghana Kasoota means – something that is super awesome. I wanted to bring the vibe of Govinda Sir’s songs in my single. There was a certain charm in romance in his time. There was chhedkaani (teasing). I was missing that element in dance numbers and that is where the idea came from.

How have the last two years impacted you as an artist?

By God’s grace, I managed to complete a lot of songs. It was a period where I found myself going back to pen and paper as a student and not as someone who is already part of the industry. I got back to my sketch board. I took a course in music production and learnt new aspects. I realized that if you are a creative person, you can do a lot more than just sticking to one art. It opened up a lot of doors for me. But did I have any epiphany about my music? Honestly, there was nothing of that sort. I have always been honest with my music, right from the beginning. It has always been about my life, my surroundings and my reality. I didn’t need a virus to come into the world to remind me that I am a human being, I always knew that.

Your last album, Mr Nair, came out in 2020. Do you still believe in the concept of full-length albums?

As an artist, I feel I have a lot to say and do. I understand that today people like visuals with audio. However, there are a lot of songs which might not bring in revenue, but they tell my story – what do I do about them? So, I bring out compilations with songs that will be played in clubs but will also have tracks through which my true listeners can get to know more about me as a human being. I’ve always had the clarity that I am here to tell my story.

Badshah and you are quite thick and rapper Karma thinks of you as his mentor. With so much competition in the field, how do these associations work out?

With the kind of population our country has, it is silly to think that people would be listening to only a particular genre of songs. People are always waiting to explore more, and if we musicians deny that, it will be bad for the music scene. There will be no growth for us. Karma might consider me a mentor but I feel it is a naturally-fitted position. I am his senior and I have worked with him. He signed with us. I like him as a human being and so the love between us has made us more like brothers. Look at Badshah bhai. He does more commercial stuff and I do more hip-hop. I swing a little into commercial and he swings a little into hip-hop. There’s a balance and the beauty is that we can co-exist in each other’s worlds. More the merrier, that's what I believe in!

Also read: Badshah: ‘I needed to scare away safety and move towards experimentation’

You did a cameo in 'Bade Acche Lagte Hain'. Are you considering a full-fledged acting role?

Raftaar doesn’t mean fast; it means speed and the speed can be fast or slow. I don’t want to show all my cards all at once. I will act but before that, I will do workshops. It’s not that I just want to come in front of the camera at any cost. If I wanted, I could have just sold my life story to make a movie out of it - God knows I have received enough offers for that. However, I have done full justice to whatever I have achieved in life. When the time is right for acting, I will do it and that time is not far. It is definitely on the cards.