In the midst of a fog-laden back street in winter-Gurugram, grace some twenty odd people mesmerised by the instantaneous flow of bars, punchlines and verses, all spontaneous and nothing planned. Some of the verses are battles against each other, some tales about suburban life in a big city, some about heart break, some even politics. Yes, this is the rawest, purest and grittiest forms of hip-hop from the NCR streets. One rapper in particular caught my attention, purely from the spontaneity and relatability of rhymes he spat out. I ask one of the bystanders who this guy was. “You mean him? Yeah, he’s Aggression.”
Some twenty-five minutes later when the flow of punchlines dwindle and the crowds separate, I approach Aggression. There was a detail I had missed out in the fog. You see, Aggression has vitiligo – a condition in which the skin loses its pigmentation and with it, its natural colour. Later it was uncovered how this condition that Aggression had since childhood, was a catalyst, if not the main fuel, in his journey as a rapper. More on that later.
A tale of heart break
Aggression released his new track “Mera Dil” on 24 January, 2024. A first one of kinds, involving romantic love and heart break. “I roll on the streets, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my fair share heart breaks” barbs Aggression a.k.a Varun.
Check out the video of Aggression’s “Mera Dil” below.
“Mera Dil” features a banger beat, sparkled with bars of smooth word play and the occasional punchline delivery. In an age where local hip-hop is on a rise, Aggression manages to set himself apart with his unique flow, unassuming lyrics and a journey full of challenges only he knows about. “Mera Dil” in all its glory is an uplifting song and a reminder that whatever one is going through is just a phase, and time heals everything. I couldn’t disagree with that one.
Head over to Aggression’s Youtube channel and you will see a sleuth of self produced independently released tracks by the hip-hop artist. All of his tracks are self composed and self written. He started writing at the age of 12. “Yes, as cliche as it might sound, it was Eminem from who I drew my initial inspiration, the one that lit the spark.” Asking him about his favourite Eminem album, “Dude, of course it is The Slim Shady LP, like, is that even debatable?” Aggression has even collaborated with producer Sanxx for the track “Mera Mann.”
Aggression’s music revolves around his contemporary observations of modern day life. “I observe life man, that of mine and that of the people around me, and I write my music.”
That foggy night I mentioned earlier, well, that took place around an year ago. Aggression’s ability to tell a story in a superfluous package has only become stronger, and so has his conviction. The track “Soch Mein Bemari” produced by RDX Bunny proves that conviction. This is a song about Aggression’s vitiligo and how he deals with it. It is worth a listen, here you go.
A rapper with a Masters Degree
Aggression, born in Delhi, moved around the country owing to his father’s career in the tea industry. That meant living in the picturesque tea estates of Dooars and Darjeeling. He later pursued graduation from Manipal University, to a short stint in the corporate world in Bengaluru, followed by post graduation from Chennai. A rapper with a masters degree is something Kanye West digresses, but eh, this is India and we do hip-hop our way, erm, the educated way, if you may…
Aggression maintains a job as a tech-journalist while actively making music. Asked about his future plans: “I’ve written a bunch of material and I’m working on a bunch of collaborations that increase my sonic range. My goal is just to keep creating solid, truthful and relatable hip-hop music that people can enjoy.”
