When we sit down to chat with rapper Kr$na about his next album, Yours Truly, the first thing he does is corrects us. “It’s a mix tape, not an album,” he says. Point noted. It features collaborations with different artistes, including Yashraj and Seedhe Maut, and experiments with genres within hip-hop, befitting a mix tape. “I wanted to explore different sounds, and also look within to find my sound,” he shares.

Yours Truly is the result of years of work — some tracks were made late last year, others way before that. To the rapper, his songs are the result of both, his disciplined approach to work as well as his instinct. “As an artiste, I think we need some regimentation because left to ourselves, we might depend too much on how we’re feeling. On the other hand, a lot of it is instinctive. Many of my hit tracks have been created on the spur of the moment,” he explains. 

Kr$na, with hits like Joota Japani and Khatta flow, has been one of the most influential figures in the Indian hip-hop scene, which emerged in mid-2000s. The rapper is pleased that the genre has found its dedicated audience in India. “Eight or 10 years ago, if you had told me that we’d be here, I wouldn’t have believed it. But we are at a point today where rap is a mainstay. That said, we are nowhere near the potential of the genre. In the global market, hip-hop is the highest-
selling genre.”

As hip-hop is still at a nascent stage in India, many often believe it to be easier than other forms of music. What does he have to say about the perception? “When you look from the outside, everything looks easy until you do it. No Bollywood playback singer will be able to rap and sound good, just like I won’t sound good if I do playback singing. Rap may not require you to be a trained singer, but it requires instinct and writing skills. If it was easy, every second person would be a rapper.”