Hanumankind: The rapper from India topping global hip-hop charts

With his song Big Dawgs, Hanumankind has fast become a name to reckon with in the global hip-hop scene.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersThe Indian rapper who overtook Kendrick Lamar on music chartsHanumankind/InstagramHanumankind, a rapper based in India, has made big waves with his musicIn a short time, Indian rapper Hanumankind has rapidly risen as a standout in the country's burgeoning hip-hop scene. His track Big Dawgs not only topped global charts but also briefly outpaced Kendrick Lamar's diss track Not Like Us. The BBC explores the rapper's meteoric rise to fame.

In the video for Big Dawgs, 31-year-old Sooraj Cherukat, also known as Hanumankind, exudes boundless energy.

Shot inside a maut ka kuan (well of death) - a jaw-dropping show where drivers perform gravity-defying stunts inside a giant wooden barrel-like structure - he stomps around the pit as a group of motorists zip past him.

The song, a collaboration with producer Kalmi Reddy and director Bijoy Shetty, has earned over 132 million streams on Spotify and 83 million views on YouTube since its July release, catapulting Cherukat to global fame.

On the outside, Cherukat's music follows the hip-hop template of delivering hard-edged stories of street life through explicit lyrics and raw prose.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ljxj3wrxo

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