It’s interesting that this African born-UK-bred Gujarati rapper — Himesh Patel — decided to bring rap to Mumbai four years ago to create a hip hop scene where there was none.
He is now working on his new album Psychiatric Help slated to release later this year though the mix tape of the album is already out. The track to watch out for is Vada Pav — a rap song with the local flavours. Sin has been based in Mumbai for the past four years though he travels in and out of the city and the country. His love for the city is evident. “The vada pav is so Mumbai! My video will even have slum kids selling vadapavs to the rich, almost taking their trip,” says Sin.
Sin’s has previously made a song called Mumbai which is about all the adversities that the city has gone through — from bomb blasts and terror attacks to floods and infrastructure problems. “I felt that there’s a lot that can be done about the local rap scene. That’s why I decided to set base here,” says the rapper.
He’s also aware of the subtle and the obvious racism in the country as he has faced it in his growing up years in London. “As a brown guy rapping in London there were loads of problems. I had to cope with racism every single day. No one gave me a chance,” he says adding, “Rap comes from the struggle.”
Sinful facts: He raps, produces, DJ’s, manages artists and has a record label called YourDamSelf Entertainment
He owns a franchise of hip hop coffee shops in Mumbai called The Spot
His clothes line — ‘Living in Sin’ — retails in four countries around the world.
