‘Rap has always excited me’

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who is scoring chartbuster success with his hip-hop artiste avatar for Gully Boy, says he had an affinity towards the genre since his childhood and loves music by Eminem. Ranveer, who has been showcasing his versatility film after film, and is fresh off the box-office hit Simmba, plays a street rapper in Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy. He has sung four songs in the album. Two of the tracks — Asli Hip Hop and Apna Time Aayega — have found many fans.

“Hip-hop is something that’s very alive inside me and always has been ever since I was a kid. I have a natural affinity and inclination towards it, and I was thrilled to be in Zoya’s film because I had always wanted to do such a film,” Ranveer said. It was because of his passion towards the genre that he could sink his teeth deep into the role in the film, which also stars Alia Bhatt.

Childhood passion

“I think I was in Class 3 or 4 when I first got into hip-hop. I loved listening to Snoop Dog, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G, while growing up and I have been into that kind of music ever since.

“I used to watch a lot of MTV and that’s where I first experienced it. There is a cousin of mine who migrated to the US and whenever he used to come down for summer holidays, he used to bring this music, and we used to sit and hear it all the time,” Ranveer said.

Rap legends Tupac and Eminem have inspired Ranveer, shaping up the ‘hip-hop artiste’ in him.

“I think Tupac’s All Eyez On Me was the first album that I had mugged up. And when Eminem made his debut... he completely blew my mind. I followed his music very closely and he became one of my most favourite artistes of all time,” he said.

Known for his eclectic dressing, some of Ranveer’s earlier fashion statements were also inspired by the rappers. “I used to go through phases where I used to dress like rappers — wear baggy jeans, oversized jerseys.”  — IANS