Artists harness hip-hop to tell climate stories in India

BENGALURU, Oct 21 — Indian rapper Kali, whose real name is Akshay, turned his childhood experiences of fetching water into a powerful climate change message in his song "Neer Kodu" or "Give Water." This is one of six tracks on the "Climate Emergency Mixtape" – India's inaugural multilingual rap album addressing the climate crisis.

Known for citing Eminem and Akon as influences, Kali grew up in Bengaluru, India's tech capital, where water shortages are an ongoing issue. Many residents rely on groundwater wells that often run dry during summer, while others depend on costly water trucked in from elsewhere. Climate change exacerbates this, as temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, posing a severe threat to the country, which is the world's most populous and third-largest greenhouse gas emitter.

Brikesh Singh, from Asar Social Impact Advisors, a partner in the album, emphasized music's ability to convey the crisis. "If we want to reach out to people experiencing the climate crisis, we need to change how society tells those stories," he stated. "Music is an extremely powerful medium." Rapper Abisha, a member of Tamil Nadu's first all-women rap group, Sollisai Sistahs, drew from her own experience for her song "Veppa Marathadiyila" or "Under the Neem Tree."

She recounted how water reached her doorstep at eight, but two years later, the area had dried up. Abisha hopes her song will spread understanding of climate change more effectively than spoken words alone. Kali urged fellow artists to focus on matters beyond cars and bikes, urging them to address climate change.