Naezy: The Fame Game
It has taken six years for Naezy (real name Naved Shaikh) to cut his debut album, Maghreb, which means West in Urdu. During this time, he became the poster boy of underground hip hop, petered out from the scene, had a film (Ranveer Singh-starrer Gully Boy) inspired by his life, and made a comeback last year with his single Aafat Wapas. Maghreb is a nod to the West for lending a philosophy that has inspired him musically and personally. “The tracks are about the streets, the neighbourhood, our community and culture, raising your voice, keeping our women safe and issues that people don’t talk about,” he tells us. Naezy further states, “The lyrics are everyday street language and slang. I’ve worked on the record for six months and no one has done this kind of stuff in the underground yet. I have collaborated with international producers like Big Byrd and Compa”
For Naezy, the USP of the album is realism. While most hip hop artistes make commercial stuff, Maghreb talks about the generation and its reality. “I want to awaken people about our roots and the everyday things we have forgotten about,” he divulges. The artiste is famed for his stark lyrics and sociopolitical songs. While most tracks on the new album — Khamakha, Jeeta Haara, Mere Bhantai and Kon Hard — are in line with those themes, there’s Pyaar Hai, which is a lighthearted number about love. The rapper explains, “Most of my sociopolitical songs are related to my real life. Pyaar Hai is also based on a true incident when I fell in love. I wanted to string the words together and express my emotions and feelings at the time. So, I wrote a lighthearted track.” He adds that this one and Mere Bhantai are the songs that stand out for him the most on the record.
Naezy agrees that the reach of the new album will be a lot more compared to his us previous works, thanks to last year’s release, Gully Boy. “The audience base of underground rap has expanded a lot in the last couple of years. Now, people who are into mainstream and commercial music have also started listening to it. That’s the reason why I have included a couple of commercial tracks in Maghreb, so that it appeals to and reaches more people,” he points out, adding that his effort now is to bring more people into the fold of underground music.
Last year, Naezy returned to the scene with his single Aafat Wapas, which he dropped after a hiatus from music. He has admitted that his family wasn’t supportive enough of his dreams and he was crumbling under the pressure of his newfound fame. However, all that is changing. “My family is a lot more considerate of my passion and appreciative of my achievements now. The understanding between us is getting better. That’s good news for me,” he avers. “But handling fame is still tough for me. Of course, I’m enjoying all the good things that come with it but I’m also tackling the dark side of it. I have no privacy. I can’t go out as freely as I used to. But my support system is quite strong, so, I’m managing,” the artiste says. Naezy is taking the negative aspect in his stride. “It’s not affecting my music. In fact, it’s enhancing my art. I take inspiration from the negativity and use it positively,” says he.
The only negative thing that came from the break was that Naezy’s listeners were left disappointed. With this album, he not only wants to give what they want but also pick up from where he left. “I wanted to appease my listeners, prove myself all over again and rise again from my fall. So, I thought this was the right opportunity to do all of that. I want to conquer my fans’ hearts like I had, and have the same kind of pull as a musician.” Ergo, the rapper has given everything he has to the album and put in all his might. “I’m extremely attached this album. I have tried to win my fans’ hearts. Let’s see how far I succeed,” he says as a matter of fact. From the feedback he’s had from music experts, he is certain the album will change things for him as well as underground hip hop.
The Mere Gully Mein hitmaker has always maintained that the intent of his music is not only to bring awareness about life in slums and sociopolitical issues but also popularise the underground hip hop genre. “I’m really thankful that I’ve got the opportunity to do both. I think I have managed to do both to a great extent. But there’s still a long way to go. We are just getting started and we still have to take our message to a lot of people. We are continuously working towards that,” says he.
After returning with Aafat Wapas, Naezy feels the scene is scattered. There’s an influx of new rappers who do not have the right direction about what they should be saying through their music. “I feel many of them are doing random stuff just to rap in their mother tongue. I want those artistes to have the right guidance and know what real hip hop is all about. I want to see a revolution and change in the scene,” he emphasises, and adds, “But I think gradually all the loose ends will be tied together well.”
The soundtrack will be followed by more international tours and collaborations. Naezy also has enough material for a sophomore record. “I’m already working on my second album,” he signs off.
Words: Dhaval Roy
Naezy for TMM
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