'Sajna ji vaari vaari' inspired this 22-year-old to become a rapper

What attracts people to rap music? On the one hand, the Real Slim Shady AKA Eminem, Tupac or MC Sher from Gully Boy (if you want to watch movies based on music, then stream these) are inspirations. On the other, it could be the song Sajna Ji Vaari Vaari from Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. At least that was the unexpected case for 22-year-old rapper Jyoti Negi. “I used to listen to Justin Bieber, Eminem, and a range of other music as well, but I’ve always preferred listening to Hindi items songs,” she recalls. I expected an explanation with a scenic route that could connect Hindi item numbers to hip-hop and rap, but her answer was simple – it’s all about the beats. Once those caught her attention, her journey with rap began.

Rap music is all about wordplay

She loves the wordplay and metaphors prevalent in rap music. “It lets you express yourself with a diverse and unique vocabulary,” says Negi, who began writing her own songs at the age of 13. Getting there, though, turned out to be a Herculean task for her, having grown up differently-abled and in a home where education wasn’t easily accessible. “I could study only till Class Five in my village, as differently-abled kids are not given access to education. My parents had to consider their options before sending me to the local school,” says Negi, who began her education much later than her peers at the age of six. Even after that, she was homeschooled by a teacher due to her health restrictions. She suffers from genetic locomotive disability and scoliosis, which has her in a wheelchair.

Once the family moved to Nayagaon near Chandigarh, Negi’s parents, who are apple farmers, enrolled her in the school nearby, where she only went to take her exams. She studied on her own at home, or her friends taught her the syllabus, “I was an average student because studying by yourself is not easy. Without clarity on the concepts, I scored just enough to pass,” she says. Despite the challenges in getting a well-rounded education, her hunger for learning fueled her hustle and, after finishing school, she got into the college of her dreams in Chandigarh. She’s currently doing a degree course in entertainment, which allows her to learn music production, writing and other aspects of media.

Rappers and hip-hop artists have a certain image — ‘baddies’ with a grunge aesthetic who leave everything behind to focus on music and perfect their art. But Negi believes her education has helped her become a better artist and recommends it to everyone who wants to make it big. “Never forsake education for making music. Rap music is a genre where vocabulary is important, which will only come to you if you are educated.”

Chasing dreams and melodies

Music was always a close comrade for her. Inspired by the songs she listened to and the Hindi poetry she grew up reading, she became adept at writing poetic verses early on. So when she got the opportunity to perform publicly in her teens, she took it. When she was 15, she auditioned and competed in a few shows and events in Chandigarh, including MTV Hustle. Around the same time, Negi also began participating in cyphers —an informal gathering of rappers, musicians and beatboxers who come together to make music while standing in a circle. (Yes, remember those scenes from Gully Boy?).

Being the only female rapper in a group of men gave Negi a boost of confidence to perform, but it wasn’t without its hurdles. She has had to fight for opportunities, deal with jealousy from fellow male artists, and strive to be valued and appreciated as an equal. “There were times when no one would arrive on time or take credit as the main artists when I organised a cypher. Other times, they would arrange for a cypher at places that were inaccessible to me,” she says. But Negi hasn’t let this deter her. “It hurt me once, but then I became immune to it and told myself that I’m attending and performing in cyphers for myself and for those who came specifically to listen to and learn from me,” she says.

Recording her music hasn’t been a smooth journey for Negi either. She spends her pocket money on booking studios and, more often than not, they are located on top floors of buildings without elevators, which makes it challenging for Negi to access them. Her health concerns also make recording an exhausting process. But she pushes through for the sake of her passion because she believes the only disability that can stop you is in your mind.

Note: The conversation has been translated from Hindi to English.