‘Discovering Hip Hop Helped Me Break National Records & Escape Life of Crime in Slums’
Rahul Khadtare first discovered hip-hop at age 13, when his friend found a phone lying around inside an auto rickshaw. “We just took the phone someone had left behind inside the auto rickshaw and kept it in our pockets,” recalls the Mumbai resident, who is now more popularly known as Kidshot. “After opening the phone, we found that it had about 60 to 70 songs from artists like Nas, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne…Initially, we couldn’t really understand what these rappers were saying and knew nothing about them. So, we went to the local cyber cafe, did a little research and printed out the lyrics.” Reading their lyrics closely, the friends realised that these rappers were talking about the same things that they were going through in the streets and slums of Powai. Taking inspiration from their lyrics, Kidshot decided to write and rap about what they were going through, but in a language more familiar to them — Hindi. By 14, he started to drop his own songs with help from his friends. Whatever the quality, the objective was to just put out music, he notes. Slowly but surely, he sharpened his skills. He would write every day and listen to entire discographies of artists like 2Pac and Notorious BIG. “Many of the great American rappers grew up with nothing. These artists were always talking about the streets and housing projects they grew up in. They spoke of growing up with no money and trying to make it in one
Rahul Khadtare, a Mumbai resident now known as Kidshot, discovered hip-hop at the age of 13 when his friend found a lost phone inside an auto rickshaw. The phone contained around 60 to 70 songs by artists like Nas, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne. Initially, they couldn't understand the lyrics, so they went to a local cyber cafe to research and print out the lyrics. As they read the lyrics closely, they realized that these rappers were talking about the same struggles they faced in the streets and slums of Powai.
Inspired by the artists' stories, Kidshot decided to write and rap about his own experiences, using Hindi, a language more familiar to him. By the age of 14, he began dropping his own songs with the help of friends, prioritizing the goal of putting out music regardless of quality. Over time, he honed his skills by writing daily and listening to entire discographies of artists like 2Pac and Notorious BIG.
Kidshot was particularly drawn to the narratives of American rappers who grew up in poverty and spoke about the struggles of their upbringing in housing projects and urban environments. He related to their experiences, as the slum where he grew up was also a place where violence, drug dealing, and various crimes were common. "Whenever it rained, our slum would flood, and people would engage in a variety of crimes just to make something out of nothing," he recalls.
Many people have the impression that Powai is a wealthy area, home to luxurious complexes like Hiranandani. However, Kidshot emphasizes that there are also real slums in the area. The discovery of hip-hop provided him with a creative outlet to express his experiences and connect with others who understood his reality.
Through his music, Kidshot not only found a way to process his life in the slums but also broke national records and escaped the life of crime that surrounded him. His journey from a life of struggle to success through hip-hop serves as a testament to the power of art and self-expression in overcoming adversity. As he continues to create and share his music, Kidshot's story inspires others to find their own paths out of challenging circumstances.
