Journalism of Courage
They double up as rappers,add energy to gigs and involve the audience in their music. Meet the MCs,who are fast gaining popularity in Indian bands.
First there was an MC,turning on the heat/ Then I heard a drummer boy blessed with a beat/ Then another brother hit me with a funky bassline/ DJ on the side,now we killin at the same time/ Hip hop,it will never be the same. These lines,penned and rapped by artiste,Bob Bobkat Omulo could well be prophetic for Indian music. Omulo is a part of the four-piece hip hop/funk band,Bombay Bassment,that has been noted for their groovy and eclectic music. But thats not the only reason the band has been making waves; its also amongst the first few bands in the country to feature an MC in its lineup.
Omulo,who is the MC and rapper for Bombay Bassment,gives a brief history of the hip hop movement and the evolution of the MC. The entire hip hop movement comes from a time when people couldnt afford big concerts,so they had to create their own entertainment. While DJs and b-boys performed,one person would work the crowd and get them excited about what was happening. That is how the MC came about, Omulo explains.
Of the few artistes who are titled as MCs,several use the term interchangeably with the term rapper. The one difference you could state between rapping and MCing is that MCs are usually in the hip hop genre, Omulo adds. Tanmay Bahulekar,also known as Microphon3,gives a clearer picture of what an MC really does. The MC is the hype man. He works the crowd,builds the excitement,gets the audience involved in the music. He may or may not be the main rapper or the main act in the band, he says.
And its not just hip hop that features MCs in music. Reggae,both internationally and more recently,in India,also has a few MCs. Zorawar Shukla,who performs with the Reggae Rajahs and goes by the stage name General Zooz,is amongst the better known MCs in the country. There arent many in India and its a real pity,because abroad,the MC is the life of the party, he says. MCs bring a different kind of energy to gigs. Each has a different style and when youre passing the mic from one to another,we react to each others styles, he says. The energy and chemistry was apparent at the opening act for Snoop Doggs recent concert in Delhi,when the Reggae Rajahs,Risk,Ax,the Delhi Sultante and Samara C performed together,passing the mic to each other. They worked together to rouse the crowd to frenzy,simultaneously engaging in a musical conversation with each other.
