A capella version of Naxalbari at the poetry open mic that won the first prize, recently . A cappella music (Italian for “in the manner of the chapel” )is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way.
This song speaks of the Naxal areas in and around Chattisgarh and how messed up things are for the tribal community with both the police forces and the naxalities exploiting and murdering them.
The song refers to soni sori, custodial torture and rape, Dr Binayak Sen, Anna Hazare and Irom Sharmila among many others.
The song is sung by Ashwini Mishra a.k.a A-List has been a rap artist and performer since 2004 . Since then, he has performed on a number of platforms such as the St. Xaviers and Bhowanipore college fests in Kolkata as well hosted and performed at a number of hip hop shows in club BED.More recently, he opened for Zero and Parikrama at the MICA collegest fest- MICANVAS back in 2008 and has been performing at open mics across Mumbai over 2010. He performed as one half of rapper-drummer duo “Various Artists” at Concert By The Bay in January 2012.
Currently he is working on his second album as a follow up to his 2006 underground EP, “I can’t lose” which was launched in Kolkata.
A-List represents a conscious approach to hip hop, using the music to talk bout more than just nightclubs, alcohol references and skimpily clad women. This is reality rap.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k2PI4vaQVk&feature=youtu.be]
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May 22, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Thanks a ton for the feature!
May 22, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Thanks for featuring this on your blog. Appreciate it a lot. Spread the message!
May 22, 2012 at 4:25 pm
well i have not listenened to the songs but i have severe problems with rthe political contents of the song as explained in this post my basic difference is maoists and police ie the state cant be put and judjed in the same plane
maoism is a polital ideology and a member of the vast left contigent of this country who are divided into many streams with serious differences so there should some kind of politcal critcism not making direct attack and clubbing them with the opressive and pro corporate indian state
May 22, 2012 at 5:15 pm
asit da, sure i agree with you, the singer has put in his ideas and interpretation, we might disagree with him but we cant get away with the fact that at least voices against govt atrocities have increased, and now musicians poets are coming forward, do listen to the song
May 24, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Asit while I agree with you in principle, what is happening on the ground has nothing to do with principles. The naxalites are still only people and people tend to misuse power as they are doing too. The problem is one has to either parrot the establishment or hero-worship the naxals. I refuse to do either. I am here to tell the stories of this place mainstream India has forgotten about. And not all the stories will be convenient to the left. So be it.