The King’s Speech

The impact was massive on 27-year-old Ali,aka King Jassim. “It was one of our biggest concerts — a sea of faces,all united by the power of music,” says Ali. It convinced him that hip hop,born in the ghettos of Jamaica as a voice of the oppressed,is not just a genre of music but also a powerful force that can bring peace.

The Bangalore-based band,Ali says,was also formed by the sheer power of hip hop. They were four like-minded individuals — founding member Ali,Manoj Alexander (mAIn-E-yAk ),Pradeep Alexander (Charles Dickenson) and Shashank AJ (XsTaCY SaSH) — who jammed together and eventually formed a band in 2007. Now ready to launch their debut album,Ride with us,in two months,Low Ryderz is currently touring the country to promote it through gigs.

The album features songs such as Life in a ghetto in collaboration with an artiste from Berlin,talking about how different the Indian ghettos are; title track Ride with us,a fun sing-along song; and Vatapi,a song influenced by Carnatic music in collaboration with Carnatic vocalist Sangeeta and percussionist Gopi.

The years in between have involved a lot of hard work. Ali says their collective love for hip hop pushed them to spread awareness through a radio show titled Radio Shack that was broadcasted on World Space Satellite Radio for over two-and-a-half years. They also performed in clubs and malls to bring the voice of the streets out in the open.

In 2010,the band bumped into Lucky Ali on the streets of Bangalore and ended up having a fun jam session together that bagged them the opportunity of touring with him. “Even though Lucky Ali mostly sings ballads,his music has a very international feel and that’s why it blends beautifully with our music,” says Ali,who has also toured with Apache Indian in 2011.

The most delightful surprise that has come his way,however,is an interview with Donisha Prendergast,granddaughter of Rita and Bob Marley. In 2011,she interviewed Ali for a documentary on the change her grandfather’s music has brought around the world. “It was an honour,” he says.

Low Ryderz will perform at High Spirits,Koregaon Park,on Sunday,3 pm onwards.