Indian Hip Hop is on fire. For KR$NA, Hip Hop has been lighting up his bones since the days of early Snoop, Pac, BIG, and Eminem. At that time, he was the socio-political rapper Young Prozpekt, who ended up posting the first Indian Hip Hop track on YouTube. Soon, he was signed to a major label, and KR$NA was born.

KR$NA has been on the top tier of Indian Hip Hop for a while now and just released a mixtape, Yours Truly, on Mass Appeal India. He’s also been hanging with Nas in India, as well as soaking in the knowledge from true OGs Slick Rick and Raekwon. LiFTED is proud to introduce our July 2025 coverstar, KR$NA.

I got into Hip Hop pretty young, started listening to early Snoop Dogg, Nas, Jay Z, B.I.G., Pac, and Eminem, and just fell in love with the genre. I loved that Hip Hop was so no-holds-barred in its approach, and they were saying things no other genre could. It spoke to me in a way that nothing had in the past.

As Young Prozpekt, I was known for a lot of socio-political Rap that I did early on, but when I got the opportunity to sign my first label deal with Universal, I knew they were expecting a more commercial sound from me [and in English as well]. So in a way not to tarnish Young Prozpekt’s legacy, I switched to KRSNA and then eventually added the dollar sign when I reintroduced myself after my hiatus with Vyanjan in 2016.

I think the biggest game changer for Indian Hip Hop has been the Internet and consequently YouTube, since it gave everyone equal access to information, entertainment, and music. If it weren’t for smartphones and mobile Internet, Hip Hop would not have penetrated tier 2 and tier 3 cities and smaller towns and villages. YouTube allowed anyone to publish music and get their music videos seen with no label backing needed. India has progressed beyond YouTube now with streaming becoming the main focus, but in other South East Asian countries like Cambodia, YouTube is still their primary platform, much like India four to five years ago.

This is far from the Golden Era, I feel like Hip Hop in India is still at about 40-50 percent of its potential. We are still way behind mainstream Bollywood music, but our popularity and numbers are outpacing everything else. The Golden Era may still be 5-10 years away, but our second generation is solidified.

Yours Truly is a mixtape that I feel I am more myself on, be it vulnerable or talking about feeling frustrated and left out by the industry, or even going back to my signature sound in tracks like ‘Knock Knock.’ I hope listeners get a more in-depth peek into my mind and the struggle of an artist to keep pushing boundaries and yet balance it with some commercial success to keep oneself relevant in a fast-moving world where success can be fleeting and short-lived.

Working with Awich is always amazing. ‘Asian State Of Mind’ was her brainchild, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. Just bringing everyone together on a track and showing solidarity in a region largely ignored by the Western world made so much sense. We can all push forward together and make ourselves heard.

I mean can you imagine? Nas…in India? That’s crazy! Nas has one of the best pens to grace this Earth, and to have him in your corner is the best feeling for an MC. Nas is an amazing person and so down to Earth even at this point after all his success. Class!

Slick Rick is the godfather of storytelling in Hip Hop. He laid that foundation and still sounds fresh on a track like he hasn’t skipped a beat after all these years! That’s crazy to me! And Raekwon the chef keeps cooking! Heard some of his new project and when we spoke he was so in tune with what was happening in India and really just dropped everything to talk to me and I’m so grateful to have been in the presence of such an MC.

I would only say, find your style, choose your lane, and keep at it. No matter how many curveballs life throws at you, you have to power through it. One day, it will all work out.

It’s important to find a balance. Sometimes fans or listeners don’t understand why artists don’t make experimental projects and move out of their comfort zone a lot once they see success. It’s because there is a very fine line between relevance and redundancy. You are being bombarded with hundreds of new songs every day, in that environment, people come to expect something from an artist they like. One needs to keep those expectations in mind while still striving for artistic greatness, which in itself is an art I would say.

All in all, you have to stay authentic and pursue what feels good to you. It comes through.