By Shaurya Saxena
22nd Mar 2024
By Shaurya Saxena
22nd Mar 2024
Seeing today's rap scene, trust me when I say that out of all the sub-genres, bilingual rap is something that's been taking over. To explain the appeal of bilingual rap in an understandable way, let's say you are a person who enjoys rap as a whole genre. Consuming everything from the American boom bap to the UK drill to Desi Hip Hop. Even though all these subgenres fall under the same shade of the umbrella, they are separated from each other through language means. Language is something, everyone resonates with on a very deep level that creates preferences. But this barrier can be broken down by multi-linguality. Taking the best from the whole world creates something the mass finds intriguing and pulls them towards it. Representing one of those voices, Karan Gajab who goes under the alias KOGNITIVE has been creating rap for almost 6 years with a style that attaches to people with his bilingual rap.
Seeing today's rap scene, trust me when I say that out of all the sub-genres, bilingual rap is something that's been taking over. To explain the appeal of bilingual rap in an understandable way, let's say you are a person who enjoys rap as a whole genre. Consuming everything from the American boom bap to the UK drill to Desi Hip Hop. Even though all these subgenres fall under the same shade of the umbrella, they are separated from each other through language means. Language is something, everyone resonates with on a very deep level that creates preferences. But this barrier can be broken down by multi-linguality. Taking the best from the whole world creates something the mass finds intriguing and pulls them towards it. Representing one of those voices, Karan Gajab who goes under the alias KOGNITIVE has been creating rap for almost 6 years with a style that attaches to people with his bilingual rap.
Born in the city of dreams Mumbai, artistry was always a part of the daily lifestyle. From playing piano at the age of 4 replicating the sound of the Bollywood track playing in the background to listening to his all-time favourite, Jagjit Singh's Ghazal before sleeping, you can assume that music was constantly streaming in his blood. The genesis of hip-hop entering his life was back in 7th grade when he stumbled upon Dr. Dre's Chronic cassette tape. The gritty realism in the lyrics and the high synth sounds completely shifted his whole exposure and perception of music. He even delivered his flowers by mentioning the album in his 2019 track "Rap Pill". Being a hip-hop enthusiast for over 13 years, in 2018 he made his first track. Working in Portland, Oregon at the time when on a rainy day he decided to pen down his feelings against societal judgments and expectations. This channelling of rage and emotions turned into his first rap "JUDGE ME".
"As an artist, my primary goal is self-examination and intellectual stimulation; to discover and rediscover myself. And in that process, become liberated from all facets of society, politics, religion, and every other facet that curbs intellectual freedom. That's one of the key reasons that I gravitate more towards the lyrical side of rap music."
Just like most musicians, Karna first jots down ideas and visual observations which create the base for the track. Writing like this brings more ethnicity. For the past year, he's been focusing on his production skills to discover his sound. Wanting to self-produce his songs in the future, he still appreciates collaborations with different producers if it hits right. Talking about his current releases, he discusses his latest release "Soliloquy". This single is a result of experimentation with some heavy drum breaks and electronic synth samples. Currently working on his upcoming EP titled "I DO THIS FOR ME", a six-track packed project with four original songs, it's going to be a fervent exhibition of his journey from making music at a pretty late stage of life to discussing his current standing. Coming a long way, in terms of production, quality, and more layered writing. The project will stand as a new birth of KOGNITIVE.
Born in the city of dreams Mumbai, artistry was always a part of the daily lifestyle. From playing piano at the age of 4 replicating the sound of the Bollywood track playing in the background to listening to his all-time favourite, Jagjit Singh's Ghazal before sleeping, you can assume that music was constantly streaming in his blood. The genesis of hip-hop entering his life was back in 7th grade when he stumbled upon Dr. Dre's Chronic cassette tape. The gritty realism in the lyrics and the high synth sounds completely shifted his whole exposure and perception of music. He even delivered his flowers by mentioning the album in his 2019 track "Rap Pill". Being a hip-hop enthusiast for over 13 years, in 2018 he made his first track. Working in Portland, Oregon at the time when on a rainy day he decided to pen down his feelings against societal judgments and expectations. This channelling of rage and emotions turned into his first rap "JUDGE ME".
"As an artist, my primary goal is self-examination and intellectual stimulation; to discover and rediscover myself. And in that process, become liberated from all facets of society, politics, religion, and every other facet that curbs intellectual freedom. That's one of the key reasons that I gravitate more towards the lyrical side of rap music."
Just like most musicians, Karna first jots down ideas and visual observations which create the base for the track. Writing like this brings more ethnicity. For the past year, he's been focusing on his production skills to discover his sound. Wanting to self-produce his songs in the future, he still appreciates collaborations with different producers if it hits right. Talking about his current releases, he discusses his latest release "Soliloquy". This single is a result of experimentation with some heavy drum breaks and electronic synth samples. Currently working on his upcoming EP titled "I DO THIS FOR ME", a six-track packed project with four original songs, it's going to be a fervent exhibition of his journey from making music at a pretty late stage of life to discussing his current standing. Coming a long way, in terms of production, quality, and more layered writing. The project will stand as a new birth of KOGNITIVE.
"I used to initially rely a lot on chopping existing melodies and creating samples for that Kickstarter inspiration towards crafting a beat. But now, I'm focused on creating original melodies as much as possible, to fully tap into my creative consciousness."
Talking about his favourite tracks, he holds INTENTION closest to his heart. Initially, the thought of writing a track centered around the idea of keeping your intentions pure and honest in the prevailing world, which has absorbed unethical practices in all the spheres of life. The track shaped up pretty close to his vision and was able to showcase beautifully. Ending our conversation with Karan, we asked him for any comments to the fans about his future endeavours and works. He simply replied with full humbleness "Let the work speak for itself. Stay Tuned".
"As artists, we're all extremely lucky to be able to create something that nourishes our soul. And the joy is in the act of music and the process. The desire for a certain outcome should not be driving you to undertake this journey."
"I used to initially rely a lot on chopping existing melodies and creating samples for that Kickstarter inspiration towards crafting a beat. But now, I'm focused on creating original melodies as much as possible, to fully tap into my creative consciousness."
Talking about his favourite tracks, he holds INTENTION closest to his heart. Initially, the thought of writing a track centered around the idea of keeping your intentions pure and honest in the prevailing world, which has absorbed unethical practices in all the spheres of life. The track shaped up pretty close to his vision and was able to showcase beautifully. Ending our conversation with Karan, we asked him for any comments to the fans about his future endeavours and works. He simply replied with full humbleness "Let the work speak for itself. Stay Tuned".
"As artists, we're all extremely lucky to be able to create something that nourishes our soul. And the joy is in the act of music and the process. The desire for a certain outcome should not be driving you to undertake this journey."
"I used to initially rely a lot on chopping existing melodies and creating samples for that Kickstarter inspiration towards crafting a beat. But now, I'm focused on creating original melodies as much as possible, to fully tap into my creative consciousness."
Talking about his favourite tracks, he holds INTENTION closest to his heart. Initially, the thought of writing a track centered around the idea of keeping your intentions pure and honest in the prevailing world, which has absorbed unethical practices in all the spheres of life. The track shaped up pretty close to his vision and was able to showcase beautifully. Ending our conversation with Karan, we asked him for any comments to the fans about his future endeavours and works. He simply replied with full humbleness "Let the work speak for itself. Stay Tuned".
"As artists, we're all extremely lucky to be able to create something that nourishes our soul. And the joy is in the act of music and the process. The desire for a certain outcome should not be driving you to undertake this journey."
