MC Kash

MC Kash
Birth name Roushan Illahi
Also known as MC Kash
Born (1990-05-05) 5 May 1990
Srinagar
Origin Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
Genres Rap, Hip hop[1]
Occupation(s) Rapper, singer, songwriter, student, record producer, activist
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2009–present
Labels Independent
Associated acts
Alif ( Previously Highway 61 ), Haze Kay
Website MC Kash

Roushan Illahi, known by his stage name MC Kash, is a rapper/emcee from Kashmir.[2] He took his name from his home province, Kashmir. He considers himself a street poet.

Earlier life

He was born in 1990 in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. He is the alumni of Burn Hall School. Roushan grew up under the shadow of guns and war and blood, the Kashmiri freedom struggle became his motivation. His key breakthrough happened during the Kashmiri Intifada during the summer of 2010 when his single "I Protest" became a symbol of people's protest against tyranny.

Kash took to hip hop to render a voice to his thoughts and feelings and to paint a picture of his streets and give a voice to his people, both of which have been misrepresented by petty politics and a biased media. True to the roots and original spirit of hip hop, Kash has put himself out on the musical front line as an artist seeking to tap and harness the transformative power of this genre and to unleash its ability to serve in the defense of truth and justice.

Born in 1990, Kash belongs to a generation of Kashmiris that grew up under the shadow of guns, whose childhood memories are that of a war, raged in the streets. It was a battlefield and a playground, and it also handed out education to those who were able and willing to learn. The streets said it all. Right from his first track as a 17-year-old to his single "I Protest" and to his self-produced debut album Rebel RepubliK, MC Kash's underlying principle has been to stay true to his streets and to speak his mind.

MC Kash's music is from the heart and soul of his experiences and radiates from his love and dreams for his people in Kashmir. A bard seeking to fulfill his responsibility as a Kashmiri to reach out to more and more people, Kash strives to tell the untold tale of his land and explore the shape of an ideal and humane society. His words pay homage to the dignity and unsung heroism of everyday people – mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. His poetry has its roots in a universal consciousness and his songs speak of human themes of hope, courage, survival, resilience and persistence and the destined triumph of Truth over falsehood. Through his rap songs, MC Kash seeks to ask questions, to insist on justice, to resist and condemn hate, greed and ignorance, and to awaken and propel reform and positive action in this world. Learning and improving all the while.[3]

Interviews

MC Kash has given several interviews to international media where he mostly spoke of Kashmir and the human rights abuses living under occupation. In an interview, he tells why he choose English language.

suffered. So if I went on to rap about it in Kashmiri, that would be useless." he explains. In another, he describes of the relation of Gaza and Kashmir

Police raid

Many times the Indian police had raided his studio to search for someone who is backing him. But they found nothing. MC Kash tells in an interview that he is independent: "Nobody is paying me. Nobody told me to go sing about Kashmir."[5]

Contribution & Influence

MC Kash was the main contributor in bringing the Hip Hop movement to Kashmir. Many of Kashmir's youth became influenced by MC Kash and his music, choosing Hip Hop to convey their messages. Hip Hop charts of Reverbnation quickly inspired many young people as they soon emerged as talented Hip Hop artists themselves - writing songs, creating beats while composing/producing music albums on their home computers or studios. The main themes of most of these songs are Kashmir , Palestine , Gaza and other regions suffering from occupation and oppression. Soon after MC Kash released his debut album, "Rebel Republik", a young boy from Srinagar named Shayan Nabi who goes by his Hip Hop slang, "Shyn9 The Preacher" who also became inspired by Kash's music and released his self produced album "Shine on Darkness". Because of MC Kash's introduction of Hip Hop music to Kashmir, many youngsters began to compose, record, and write music lyrics sharing their work with the world through social media and internet websites. Recently another youth from Srinagar , "Shk Sahil" released a single namely "Liberation". There are so many other teenagers who got inspired by MC Kash and emerged as Underground Rappers. Some of them are Rapper Aa'DeE KayEmmar, MC Youngblood, Renegade, Haze Kay, KayTwo, Kash Menace, Shyn9 The Preacher, EssXaar, MC Ishfaq & Shk Sahil

Discography

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bio". MC Kash. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Kashmir rappers battle to be heard". The Express Tribune. 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Archived 13 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ "BBC News – MC Kash raps for Kashmir protest victims". BBC News. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "BBC News – MC Kash raps for Kashmir protest victims". BBC News. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
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