61Aayega” in his pocket as he walked in, abhi tak
film promotion chal rahi hai bhai”) to gentle
ribbing about each other’s romantic escapades.
The two met three years ago, at the first
rap cypher organised by Spit Dope Inc, a
Delhi battle rap platform founded by Negi
and fellow Delhi MCs Kode, Abxom and
Snub. Negi was already a familiar face at
jams and cyphers at the time. Hailing from
unfashionable East Delhi – or Jamnapaar
- the Eminem and Big L fan had started
off rapping in English, like many of his
contemporaries, but quickly transitioned to
raw, combative Hindi rap.
He and Sharma, the rebellious son of two
school principals, hit it off instantly. They
decided to write together as a multilingual
duo – Negi rapping in Hindi and Sharma in
English – and Seedhe Maut was born. The
name came from a phrase Sharma’s brother
loved to use, a Delhi analogue of London
Seedhe Maut’s
live gigs
are electricgrime’s “sick”. “It basically implies that you
have to give it your all in anything you do,”
says Sharma. “It’s quite dark and sharp, and
that’s how we wanted our sound to be. Always
aggressive, in your face. No half measures, just
seedhe maut.”
Once they started writing songs together,
it quickly became apparent that this creative
partnership was bigger than the sum of its
two parts. Negi wields his voice like a scalpel,
his Hindi lyrics showcasing a mastery of
alliteration and metaphor that rivals that of
Mumbai gully rap pioneer Naezy. He draws
from the same well of inspiration as Sahir
Ludhianvi and other Hindustani lyricists
of Golden Age Bollywood, with their subtle
interplay of pathos and clever wordplay.
Sharma’s writing is more direct, but what he
lacks in lexical dexterity, he more than makes
up for with his relentless flow and crushing
delivery. He’s the virtuoso of the braggadocio
verse, his voice dripping with contempt as he
demolishes opponents in machine-gun staccato.
The duo spent the latter half of 2016
putting together the songs for 2 Ka Pahada,
which went on to make serious waves in
the Indian rap underground, grabbing the
attention of hip-hop heads all over the country.
Within a month of the mixtape’s release, Azadi
had signed them on for a record deal. Seedhe
Maut had arrived.Their nine^ track
debut album,
Bayaan, is a record
that seethes
with barely
restraine d rage
and revels in its
dest ructive impact