There has been a major shift in the sound of Indian Hip-Hop in all corners of the country – especially more from the country’s capital – New Delhi. Sounds from the North have always adapted to their tough crowd. They have catered to a mass-y, hard to please audience up until the explosion of Hip-Hop.
And Delhi owes a lot to its first-generation emcees to have cultivated, nurtured and grown its scene to last the pressure of the industry. One of these emcees is Frappe Ash – a true veteran to the game and still a fresh, alternative sound.
Bet You Know
One half of the country’s finest Hip-Hop binary crews Full Power – Frappe Ash has brought to life a body of work that will resonate with true romantics, people with true passion and most importantly, the people in his own life. “Bet You Know”, an 8-track debut album, is an ode to love, loss and life. Its central theme of moving onwards with life gets noticed midway through the album. A hand-picked team of dope spitters, impeccable production and mix. Born and raised in Roorkee and now based in New Delhi, Akshay Rawat aka Frappe Ash’s debut release comes after a lot of wait, Frappe Ash being a regular in the live music circuit.
2019 has proved to be a year of albums across the Hip-Hop soundscape. This year has produced more quality albums than ever before, and yet Frappe Ash’s “Bet You Know” seems to have not concerned itself with competitive flash or bang for buck. The album is intimately personal and reaches out to the listener’s souls and hearts rather than divert its attention to how heavy it will play live. Having come to life after Frappe Ash’s relationship with his girlfriend ended, the album deals with issues such as escapism, obsession, love and loss, and features contemporary artists such Seedhe Maut, Yungsta, Rae, Enkore, HHB a Garhwali chorus by Priyanka Meher on track ‘Surma’.
“Writing these songs was sort of a therapy I was going through, I had to get it off my chest and so I did. All of the songs are very potent, very intense, but it’s not all love this and love that, there’s a lot more to it. I feel there are a lot of people who have been through this stuff and when I was going through it, at the back of my head, I knew I had to let these emotions out and I will in one way or the other.” says Frappe Ash.
Frappe Ash has also dropped the music video to the intro track “Surma” and the visuals fit perfectly with the concept of the entire album. The outcome to all the effort – a hidden gem of an album. People complain that there is a lack of quality in today’s rap game. Show them this album among a few others. These are the real tastemakers in the game today.
