Rebel 7 is one of the most celebrated artists from the Delhi rap community. Known for his distinct persona, Rebel 7 has established a strong fanbase through tracks like ‘Naseeb’, ‘Scene Change’ and EPs like ‘Kaafi Kuch’ and ‘Cheera’. The rapper-producer has been releasing music since 2019, but was known before for his Youtube channel’s instrumentals and beats. Read more to know about Rebel’s style, his journey and upcoming projects.
1.Your personality as an artist is very unique, you have your own distinct style and social presence. Why do you think that is?
People want to know everything about their favourite artist, be it their character, their personal life or whatever they are up to. Honestly, I have always been like this, I have a chill and funny personality in real life too. I used to randomly reply with audio messages to fan DMS and was active on social media. It helps in community building. It is also about showing that it is not that complex to make music, that is why I make those cook-up reels because there are certain people who think that creating music is a tough thing. Although one needs to have experience and that ear for sounds to be able to sample stuff and make beats, I do want to inspire my community by showing a rather simpler way to create.
2.You are very versatile in every term associated with Hip-Hop. What makes your artistic persona this multifaceted?
Being a human, you experience different feelings and emotions, and I believe art should be made to project that. I can’t always make lo-fi tracks because I can’t always be in that mood. I know how to present my emotions, and at this point, I can create layouts in the form of sounds and production to deliver them. I never really sat and thought about my versatility, It depends on my production process I think. Sounds help me find certain thoughts that I wasn’t even aware of because they were buried in my subconscious mind.
3.Your music has two sides to it, at times it feels like you are freestyling and at times you present narratives and storytelling that feature your lyrical prowess. How does Rebel 7 write his bars?
I have been practising this for a long time now, so I do have that ability to freestyle and still make sense of what I’m saying. But I also want to get into the zone of writing and structuring my lyrics when I get to work on my album. ‘Kaafi Kuch’, surprisingly, isn’t that well-thought as it appears to be, it was a result of us getting into that exact feeling and delivering it in the best form we could. Mostly, the writing process for me can’t be done without a beat, I need sounds to drive my thoughts a certain way.
4.Tell me about your production process.
These days, it depends on the sample. I’ve been producing and having cook-up sessions even before I thought about documenting this. If a sample stands out, I start thinking about ways to structure a song around it. It may look easy in a 60-second reel, but it requires a lot of experience *laughs*.
5.What influences do you have? What got you into Hip-Hop?
Earlier, when I started, I used to listen to Eminem. He was the most mainstream rap artist that time around. I also used to listen to Hindi tracks before that on the radio. Later, I used to play NFS and my friends would bring in CDs of projects by Akon, Tupac and 50 Cent. I think as a producer I was inspired by DJ Premier, I used to love his sampling a lot. Post that I dived into underground Hip-Hop and discovered more sounds and styles.
6.Do you recall your days at SpitDope? What do you feel?
My first stage show was at SpitDope around 2015-16, it was the first offline thing we had in music. There was nothing in Delhi for Hip-Hop back then. I discovered the essence of a community and even today, the feel of performing at SpitDope is different. I had a job at the same time hence I couldn’t focus much on releasing my music. I used to be a beatmaker, that’s how most people knew me. I remember meeting Sez during a workshop he set up, I played some of my music to him and he liked it, that’s how ‘Goonj’ happened. I’d recommend all the hustling artists to try to find a way to be active in the community if they can’t release music, it helps you a lot.
7.You often feature a lot of underground talents in your pieces. Sharing a platform and fanbase is something a lot of artists get really picky about, what is your reason for this?
I believe that established artists should try to work with up-and-coming artists who have potential. I love how Seedhe Maut worked with Ab17 and the Section 71 boys and helped them reach the masses. I still have that hunger to create fiery and banger tracks, and if I find someone who matches this, I’d love to work with them. A lot of these new artists are bringing so much to the table, so I always enjoy the artistic contribution they bring.
8.Tell me about your upcoming music.
I will be releasing a lot of music. I feel I had been distracted a bit by some other affairs, but now I am locked in. But to tease some stuff, I am working on a couple of EPs. I have a project with Ahmer and some pieces with Smoke and Qaab. I also have a track with Calm and Lil Kabeer. Another project with The Siege and Sammad could come out this year.
