Hanumankind | Photo credit: special arrangement
The YouTube comment section for Hanumankind’s latest release, ‘Big Dogs’, has brought the whole world to the Kerala-born, Bengaluru-based rapper’s doorstep. From Kenya and Turkey to Kazakhstan and the US, everyone is lining up to see Hanumankind in the Well of Death, a fairground attraction where people drive motorbikes or cars into a silo by centrifugal force.
The video received worldwide acclaim and praise from his own hip-hop heroes like Project Pat, Bun B and more. Hanumankind says being inside the car was “terrifying” as it was defying gravity.
“There’s a reason they call it Maut Ka Kuan. You have to give credit to the people who perform there every day because they risk their lives to entertain people. I went there just for a day, but I’m lucky that they accepted me into their community and let me take part in something like this,” he says.
The video was directed by Hanumankind’s longtime collaborator Bejoy Shetty, who first thought of the Well of Death as a location for their video. The idea matched his philosophy of “no risk, no reward” and the rapper says, “This is something we all have grown up watching, not just in India, but around the world. We prepared ourselves, shot and released it, and now, here we are.”
Hanumankind | Photo credit: special arrangement
The video was shot in Malappuram, not far from Hanumankind’s home. Their previous team-up, the song ‘Go To Sleep’ composed by Parimal Shays in early 2023, paid tribute to Hanuman. fight Club And even today Hanumankind’s bold, outspoken rap lives on in the memory of those who follow it. It took a year and a half, but now, ‘Big Dogs’ with music by Kalmi is Hanumankind’s biggest song to date.
With over 4.1 million views on YouTube and 4.1 million streams on Spotify since its release on July 9, a short reel featuring the ‘Big Dogs’ video has garnered 4.7 million views on Instagram. It even blew up on TikTok with 3.7 million views on a review video.
with top hip-hop publications such as Pigeon and plane As his Instagram page also made headlines, the world was watching and appreciating Hanumankind and his song. “I am grateful for how this all came to be,” he says.
While he may have brought the world together in the comments section on YouTube, social media was also filled with frustration, negativity and questions about why ‘Big Dogs’ was so popular. Some people began claiming that all the pages posting about the release were paid promotions. In today’s media age, some believed that it was necessary to spend money to promote a powerful song like ‘Big Dogs’.
Hanumankind | Photo credit: special arrangement
On the other hand, Hanumkind says he was surprised at how pages chose the song and video of their own volition. “We have a marketing budget, so we know what, where and how much (money) is going somewhere. We also know when it’s not. We kept calling people to ask, ‘Did you pay for this?’ and they would reply “It just got picked up”.
The rapper said it “wouldn’t be good with my soul” if it was anything other than an organic approach to ensure his music gets heard. “It’s kind of like how something gets picked up – it’s a byproduct of doing the work,” he says.
Hanumankind says he is building a community within the country. “That’s been my base, that’s still my home, my heart, my everything,” he says. He explains that it’s the same community that has given him millions of streams over the years, ever since he released his first EP Kalari In 2019.
It was this same community that taught him how to fend off the trolls and racist comments that came his way on social media posts when ‘Big Dogs’ started gaining attention. “I think it’s the effect of our times. There’s a lot of negativity going around, and people are not happy, so they find reasons to attack you,” he says. Unfazed, he adds, “I think hate is quite normal in this world. It shouldn’t stop a person from doing what he needs to do.”
Hanumankind explained how he has received praise from his idols such as Project Pat from Three 6 Mafia (whom he mentions in the song) and Bun B from rap group UGK. “These are my idols, my heroes. They reach out to me. They’re sending me messages, telling me they appreciate what I’m doing here. Now I don’t have to care about what anybody else says.”
Hanumankind | Photo credit: special arrangement
