Poetic justice and things like that
17 March 2014 3:40 AM IST
I don’t know about spring in this city, but summer is almost here. I am talking about the kicking off the blanket in the morning because you feel too warm, to feeling the sweat prickle after a little walk. Brace yourselves Delhi! Now, post the weather rant, we move to better things.
Humble The Poet aka Kanwar Singh is a Sikh-Canadian rapper from Toronto. One of those artists whose whole life is an intricate piece of art- his art is his journey through life, exploring the tenets of religion, self-actualisation and fulfillment, while living, and then leaving the realities of a mundane life with an everyday job.
A school teacher who left his comfy yet unsettling job to go about preaching the spoken word through his poetry and his rap. His raps cover subjects like the plight of the immigrant experience, shortcomings in the education and prison systems, Palestine and women’s right, and more. And he took over Raasta on Friday night along with DJ Su Real. Read on...
Tell us about yourself, how did you start off?
I started off doing spoken word poetry and it involved into reciting verses over music. Eventually things moved into rhyming over various genres of music.
What was the first big break for you?
I don’t think I’ve received any big breaks, there have been multiple people around the world that have supported me and brought me where I am; from other artists to people in the industry and various companies who’ve supported my movement.
How would you define your musical philosophy?
My music philosophy is to create work that will shake your ass and shake your mind at the same time.
In our country, how easy or difficult is it to make a mark in the music scene? What do you think about the main issues are?
I haven’t been here long enough to encounter any resistance, my music is a bit tricky to digest for non-English speaking people, but I’m working to find ways to connect with them in other ways. Music is the universal language.
Tell us about your music, what do you think defines you?
My music is simple collection of my journey in rhyme. I’m defined by my ability to articulate ideas in a simple, easy to digest manner. I focus not only on what I say, but also how I say it. I love putting emotions into my work.
What/who inspires you?
Life inspires me. I’m a committed life long learner, and work to find teachers in everyone and everything I encounter.
Tell us about your best tracks
My most popular track is Baagi, it’s Punk rock hip hop that is an unapologetic salute to Punjabis around the world, and our rebel heritage. The beauty of the track is it’s high intensity, and ironic lack of Punjabi sounds.
What songs top your playlist right now?
Anything by Nucleya, Outkast, and Drake.
What suggestions/advice do you have for newbies in music?
Work ethic will always trump talent. Do not let your ego get the best of you.
How has Delhi been for you?
If I had my way, I’d live here, I love the energy here, and looking forward to spending more time here later in the year.
For a tipple!
We spoke to Suhail Mehra, Executive Director, MBPL - the guys getting a very cool new vodka to the country. We aren't big on marketing lowdowns but it was incredible fun hearing it from the man who knows exactly how to break the clutter.
Tell us a bit about how Svedka came about.
We have already been dealing with constellation brands for the last 4-5 years with their flagship Californian winery called Robert Mondavi. Svedka is also owned by the same group and this the moment we got to know about their plan of expanding into India , I grabbed the opportunity to expand our hard spirits portfolio as well as having something so trendy , chic , stylish and great tasting as svedka.
What is the strategy that you will use to introduce a new vodka into the Indian market?
The very basic ideology behind Svedka is that we need the consumer to think ‘I need to be proud of that brand - because I don't have to pay more than I have to. I got a good quality product, and more importantly the brand is cool and my peers acknowledge that’, as soon as he sees the bottle on the shelf. India is a price sensitive market, and we stick to the same ideology. That being said, people do not mind paying the right price for the right product.
Who is your target audience?
We define (but not limit ourselves to) our target audience to be socializers, men and women, 25-34, who are outgoing, curious, ‘plugged-in’, in-the-know, pop culture trend setters, and are value and image conscious.
How do you plan the break the clutter? Price or packaging?
Characteristically speaking, we like to define Svedka as Outrageous, Flirtatious, Outgoing, Clever, Confident, Decisive and Future Forward. Svedka has a unique and a diverse range of all natural flavors, with no artificial enhancers or agents, and has great packaging too. Matching it up with the great pricing, we hope to break through the regular cluster.
What is Svedka's USP?
Five times distilled; made from Swedish winter wheat; great flavorful range, made with natural fruit ingredients, with no artificial enhancers or agents; simple, unique packing, cool and edgy image;
competitive pricing and the ‘Cheap Chic’ value equation.
Humble The Poet aka Kanwar Singh is a Sikh-Canadian rapper from Toronto. One of those artists whose whole life is an intricate piece of art- his art is his journey through life, exploring the tenets of religion, self-actualisation and fulfillment, while living, and then leaving the realities of a mundane life with an everyday job.
A school teacher who left his comfy yet unsettling job to go about preaching the spoken word through his poetry and his rap. His raps cover subjects like the plight of the immigrant experience, shortcomings in the education and prison systems, Palestine and women’s right, and more. And he took over Raasta on Friday night along with DJ Su Real. Read on...
Tell us about yourself, how did you start off?
I started off doing spoken word poetry and it involved into reciting verses over music. Eventually things moved into rhyming over various genres of music.
What was the first big break for you?
I don’t think I’ve received any big breaks, there have been multiple people around the world that have supported me and brought me where I am; from other artists to people in the industry and various companies who’ve supported my movement.
How would you define your musical philosophy?
My music philosophy is to create work that will shake your ass and shake your mind at the same time.
In our country, how easy or difficult is it to make a mark in the music scene? What do you think about the main issues are?
I haven’t been here long enough to encounter any resistance, my music is a bit tricky to digest for non-English speaking people, but I’m working to find ways to connect with them in other ways. Music is the universal language.
Tell us about your music, what do you think defines you?
My music is simple collection of my journey in rhyme. I’m defined by my ability to articulate ideas in a simple, easy to digest manner. I focus not only on what I say, but also how I say it. I love putting emotions into my work.
What/who inspires you?
Life inspires me. I’m a committed life long learner, and work to find teachers in everyone and everything I encounter.
Tell us about your best tracks
My most popular track is Baagi, it’s Punk rock hip hop that is an unapologetic salute to Punjabis around the world, and our rebel heritage. The beauty of the track is it’s high intensity, and ironic lack of Punjabi sounds.
What songs top your playlist right now?
Anything by Nucleya, Outkast, and Drake.
What suggestions/advice do you have for newbies in music?
Work ethic will always trump talent. Do not let your ego get the best of you.
How has Delhi been for you?
If I had my way, I’d live here, I love the energy here, and looking forward to spending more time here later in the year.
For a tipple!
We spoke to Suhail Mehra, Executive Director, MBPL - the guys getting a very cool new vodka to the country. We aren't big on marketing lowdowns but it was incredible fun hearing it from the man who knows exactly how to break the clutter.
Tell us a bit about how Svedka came about.
We have already been dealing with constellation brands for the last 4-5 years with their flagship Californian winery called Robert Mondavi. Svedka is also owned by the same group and this the moment we got to know about their plan of expanding into India , I grabbed the opportunity to expand our hard spirits portfolio as well as having something so trendy , chic , stylish and great tasting as svedka.
What is the strategy that you will use to introduce a new vodka into the Indian market?
The very basic ideology behind Svedka is that we need the consumer to think ‘I need to be proud of that brand - because I don't have to pay more than I have to. I got a good quality product, and more importantly the brand is cool and my peers acknowledge that’, as soon as he sees the bottle on the shelf. India is a price sensitive market, and we stick to the same ideology. That being said, people do not mind paying the right price for the right product.
Who is your target audience?
We define (but not limit ourselves to) our target audience to be socializers, men and women, 25-34, who are outgoing, curious, ‘plugged-in’, in-the-know, pop culture trend setters, and are value and image conscious.
How do you plan the break the clutter? Price or packaging?
Characteristically speaking, we like to define Svedka as Outrageous, Flirtatious, Outgoing, Clever, Confident, Decisive and Future Forward. Svedka has a unique and a diverse range of all natural flavors, with no artificial enhancers or agents, and has great packaging too. Matching it up with the great pricing, we hope to break through the regular cluster.
What is Svedka's USP?
Five times distilled; made from Swedish winter wheat; great flavorful range, made with natural fruit ingredients, with no artificial enhancers or agents; simple, unique packing, cool and edgy image;
competitive pricing and the ‘Cheap Chic’ value equation.
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