Being a rapper in Dhaka means bringing forward a plethora of emotions; Shafayat Hossain channels his feelings in a flight of words, thus turning the wheels of hip hop music in Bangladesh. “The surroundings of Dhaka influence my music since I’ve grown up here. There’s so much happening in the streets of Dhaka every day; where anger is followed by laughter. When I write my lyrics, all these emotions transform into words,” shares Shafayat. For him, the idea is to keep the vibes local and the feelings international.
Looking at his music as an outlet for empowerment, Shafayet says that rap gives him the liberty to write about anything. “The setbacks in the city are usually regarding law and justice, or the lack thereof,” he adds. The singer for the rap group Jalali Set says that their songs resonate in the minds of those who are distraught about such issues. Rap can be a challenging genre when one seeks to question their societal norms, but even when the going gets tough Shafayat continues to forge ahead with his music. “The freedom derived from hip hop is reflected in our lyrical style, which is why our listeners can connect with us.” The first rapper who left Shafayat awestruck with his words was Mike Shinoda in Linkin Park.” I began to try out a rap on my own and, for all these years, didn’t follow any particular rapper,” he recalls. But now the rising artist looks up to international rappers like J-Ko and Kendrick Lamar, who thoroughly influence his music with their distinctive way of storytelling.
The passionate musician claims that his fellow rapper MC Mugz has mentored him through his career as an artiste. When Jalali Set released Sura Target, it immediately caught attention. Although there is a fan base in the country for international rap music, the lyrics made in the West may or may not be relatable for Bangladeshis, for which, he says that he is continuously trying to decipher the subtle nuances and put into words the original elements of our locals. Shafayat explains that every lyric has a double meaning- one that is apparent and the other that is subtle.’ The rapper adds that the lyrics are constructed layer by layer. “First we come up with a punch line regarding the theme. Then we try to gather more knowledge on that theme so that the lyrics can stress on the punch line,” he highlights.
On a final note, Shafayat adds that he would love to explore the various facets of music the way he’s doing right now. “In my eye, music has no genre. If somebody loves a certain style of music, their style and composition should not be labelled. They should be given the scope to explore more and more. There was a time I felt I could do only hip hop but now I feel like I can experiment; the track Local Bus is exemplary of that. I would like to uplift rap music in our country. In future, I may try to merge rap with different genres as well; it may be rock, it may be pop! For me, it is a lyrical adventure.”
“Although there is a fan base in the country for international rap music, the lyrics made in the West may or may not be relatable for Bangladeshis, for which, I am continuously trying to decipher the subtle nuances and put into words the original elements of our locals,” Shafayat states.