Divine (rapper) explained

Divine
Birth Name:Vivian Wilson Fernandes[1]
Birth Date:2 October 1990
Birth Place:Andheri, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Years Active:2010–present

Vivian Wilson Fernandes (born 2 October 1990), known professionally as Divine (stylized as DIVINE), is an Indian rapper. Born and raised in Andheri, Mumbai, Fernandes started gaining popularity after the release of his single "Yeh Mera Bombay" in 2013. He broke through with the release of "Mere Gully Mein" in 2015, which featured fellow Mumbai-based rapper Naezy.

On 12 December 2020, Divine became the first Indian rapper to be featured on Spotify Times Square billboard in New York City for his album Punya Paap (2020), which had claimed the top spot on Apple Music India.[2] He made his debut at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022 becoming the first Indian hip-hop star to attend the Grammys.

His third studio album, Gunehgar was released in 2022, which was preceded by the hit single "Baazigar" featuring Armani White.

Career

Early years

Divine started his career as an underground rapper in 2011 after discovering hip-hop on a T-shirt. A friend of his wore a T-shirt of 50 Cent's first album Get Rich or Die Tryin' at school. The same friend gave him his first MP3 CD with hip-hop music on it which inspired him to start rapping in English.[3] He was part of the hip hop crew Mumbai's Finest. He often raps about his own life experiences, such as the life of the poor people in Mumbai and his upbringing with a single mother. He cites American rappers such as Nas, Eminem, Big L, Tupac, 50 Cent, and Rakim as his influences.[4]

Rise to success

Following the release of his song "Yeh Mera Bombay", Divine obtained the attention of Sony Music India[5] while performing at the Blue Frog Festival 2014 in Mumbai, and shortly after signed a contract with them. The song later won the Best Video of the Year award by Rolling Stone India that same year. He released his breakout single "Mere Gully Mein" featuring Naezy on 16 April 2015. The song went viral and many Bollywood celebrities shared it on social media.[6] He collaborated with Indian DJ Nucleya on the track "Jungle Raja" from Nucleya's album Bass Rani, which helped him gain even more popularity. The song won Best EDM Track of the Year at the GiMA Awards in 2016.

On 24 March 2016, his debut solo single "Jungli Sher" was released and it ruled the charts because of its raw depiction of the life of the poor in Mumbai. He took the song to the Breakfast Show ahead of BBC Asian Network Live on 29 April 2016. He appeared on the BBC Asian Network on the Charlie Sloth Show; he was the first Hindi-speaking rapper to freestyle on the show and also the first to rap in Hindi with the name-giving host in attendance. He was also featured on Brapp TV.[7]

Divine also collaborated with Nucleya on another hit track, "Scene Kya Hai" off Nucleya's album Raja Baja. He was featured on "Daru Daru" with Deep Jandu and Gangis Khan, his first commercially oriented song, which came out on 10 January 2017. His next solo single, "Farak", was released on 16 February 2017 and topped the Indipop charts on iTunes India.[8] He appeared as a feature on the record City Slums by Indian-American rapper/singer/songwriter Raja Kumari in May 2017. City Slums was further certified triple platinum In India by IMI.

In 2018, Divine terminated his contract with Sony Music India. He released a remix to Lil Pump's "Gucci Gang" called "Gully Gang" independently on 18 January 2018. The song was perceived well by both critics and fans and helped him garner more attention. On 5 April 2018, he followed up with "One Side" produced by Byg Byrd. The video was produced by Red Bull Media House and came out on the rapper's own YouTube channel.

His next single, "Teesri Manzil", earned him a copyright strike from Zee Music Company a few hours after its release and was deleted from his channel. It was eventually re-released on 14 December 2018 with some changes in the lyrics. He released "Junoon", the intro to his upcoming first full-length album, on 10 November 2018. The album's name, Kohinoor, was announced on 13 February 2019 on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio show hosted by Ebro Darden. The album release was announced to be sometime in April 2019 but was finally released later. In July 2019, Divine released a documentary film about his career so far entitled Gully Life - The Story of Divine. It first aired on TV on channels such as the Discovery Channel and was released on Divine's YouTube channel a week later.

On 20 August 2019, Nas' Mass Appeal Records and Universal Music India launched Mass Appeal India and signed Divine. Universal Music Group and Mass Appeal jointly took the step to take him to India and globalize the Indian hip-hop scene.[9] [10] On 20 August 2019, in an interview with Nas published on Mass Appeal India's YouTube channel, and Universal Music India's Facebook Page, Nas revealed that Divine's debut album Kohinoor was set to release soon. It was released on 9 October 2019 and featured all-new tracks recorded specifically for the album.[11] [12]

In 2021, GQs global editions nominated a local artist across a world of genres and Divine was among the 21 most exciting young musicians.[13] He appeared on a cover of the Metallica song "The Unforgiven" with Vishal Dadlani and Shor Police, for the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021.

In 2021, he won the award for Best Indian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.[14]

Film contributions

Divine made his Bollywood debut in the film Mukkabaaz with the song "Paintra". The track was another collaboration with Nucleya and was released on 1 December 2017. He collaborated with famous Indian music director and singer Amit Trivedi for the Irrfan Khan-starring film Blackmail on the song "Badla", which was released on 16 March 2018 via T-Series. Divine also contributed to the soundtrack for Sacred Games,[15] [16] an Indian Netflix original series. It features his song "Jungli Sher" as well as "Kaam 25" produced by Indo-Canadian producer Phenom, which was made specifically for the series. Its music video was released on 14 June 2018 on both Divine's and Netflix's YouTube channels, with the version on Netflix featuring English subtitles.[17] [18]

Divine most notably contributed to the soundtrack of Gully Boy by Zoya Akhtar, a 2019 film inspired by the lives of Naezy and himself, with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starring.[19] Divine and Naezy both helped as consultants to get an authentic representation of hip hop culture for the film. Their song "Mere Gully Mein" was remade with Ranveer Singh rapping Naezy's lyrics as part of the film. Divine provided additional rap lyrics for Ranveer Singh's character and composed some of the songs for the original soundtrack. A promotional single featuring American artist Nas as well as Naezy, divine and Ranveer Singh was released on JioSaavn shortly prior to the film's release.

Punya Paap

On 20 September 2020 Divine appeared on the international remix of "Bando Diaries" by UK rapper Dutchavelli alongside OneFour from Australia, Noizy from Albania and Kekra from France. On 23 September 2020, he released his new song and video, "Punya Paap", on Mass Appeal India's YouTube channel. It was announced to be the first single off his second album, also entitled Punya Paap.

On 16 October 2020, he released "Mirchi", the second single from the album. The song with its prominent baile funk sound was well received. Another track from the album, "Mera Bhai", had its music video launched on 6 November 2020. The animated video portrays a story where one of Divine's childhood friends betrays him out of jealousy and ends with his message to the listeners to trust no one but themselves in today's world.

His second album, Punya Paap, was released on 3 December 2020, under the label Mass Appeal India. It consists of 11 tracks, with features from Nas, Cocoa Sarai, Dutchavelli, Stylo G, D'Evil, MC Altaf, Lisa Mishra and Phenom. The album has a blend of old-school 808 patterns and new heavy beats with a lot of sampled loops, produced by some of the finest producers from the Indian hip-hop scene, including Stunnah Beatz, iLL Wayno, and Karan Kanchan. The album has an overall ominous theme, and chronicles Divine's struggles and rise to the top in the Indian hip-hop scene.[20]

2022–present

In November 2022, he released his third album titled Gunehgar.[21] The album prominently features international artists and producers.

Gully Gang Entertainment

In February 2019 Divine announced the founding of a new company, Gully Gang Entertainment, a venture that includes a record label "Gully Gang Records", to recruit and produce hip hop talent in the Mumbai area.[22] The song "Gully Gang Cypher"[23] released on 22 May 2019 as the first collaboration of the label's artists such as the emerging rap quartet Aavrutti, solo hip-hop artists D’Evil, MC Altaf and Shah Rule as well as music producer Karan Kanchan.[24] [25] Artists from outside of Mumbai too have been signed, for instance, 100RBH from Amravati and Tsumyoki from Goa.[26] [27]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetails
Kohinoor
Punya Paap
  • Released: 2020
  • Label: Mass Apeal India, Gully Gang
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
Gunehgar
  • Released: 2022
  • Label:Gully Gang, Mass Apeal India
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming

Collaborative albums

Singles discography

As lead artist

TitleYearPeak chart positionsMusicSongwriter (s)Album
UK asian
Voice of the Streets2013
Yeh Mera BombayRjv Ernesto & Sez on the Beat
Bombay Rap Cypher 20142014Sez on the Beat
Mere Gully Mein 2015Sez on the Beat
Jungli Sher2016Sez on the Beat
Scene Kya Hai NucleyaRaja Baja by Nucleya
Farak2017Phenom
Gully Gang (Gucci Gang Remix)2018Cyrill Gabriel (Madbus Audio)
One SideByg Byrd
Roots K-Major
Teesri ManzilPhenom
JunoonPhenomKohinoor
Jungli Sher (Hip Hop Remix) 2019From The Dance Project (Season 1: Episode 7)
KohinooriLL WaynoDivine, Benny Solomon Kohinoor
Wallah
(ft. Shah Rule)
Xplicit & PhenomDivine, Phenom, Xplicit
Gandhi MoneyPhenomDivine, Phenom
Nas Interlude (Skit)
(ft. Nas)
Divine, Nas, Phenom
Vibe Hai
(ft. Aavrutti, D'Evil & Shah Rule)
NDSDivine, D'Evil, NDS, Frenzzy, Saifan, Sammohit, Sledge, Shah Rule
Chal BombayPhenom & iLLWaynoDivine, iLL Wayno, Phenom
Remand
(ft. Dave East)
PhenomDivine, Dave East, Phenom
Too Hype
(ft. Sid Sriram & Sanjoy)
Sanjoy Divine, Julian De Grosso, Russell Ali, Sanjoy, Sid Sriram, Zach Cirino
Gully Gang Cypher, Vol. 22020Karan Kanchan
Chaabi Wala Bandar (Quality Control) Stunnah Beatz
Sach Bol Patta Stunnah Beatz
Bas Kya Ba DRJ SohailShutdown EP by Mass Appeal, Gully Gang & Divine
Bag NDS, Stunnah Beatz & Progression Music
Bandana Gang Xplicit & Stunnah Beatz
Nahi Pata Xplicit
3:59 AMStunnah BeatzDivine, Stunnah BeatzPunya Paap
Mera BhaiKaran KanchanDivine, Karan Kanchan
Walking Miracle
(with Nas & Cocoa Sarai)
iLL WaynoDivine, Nas, Cocoa Sarai, iLL Wayno
SatyaKaran KanchanDivine, Gulzar, Karan Kanchan, Vishal
Mirchi
(ft. MC Altaf, Phenom & Stylo G)
33PhenomDivine, MC Altaf, Phenom, Stylo G
Disco Rap
(with D’Evil & MC Altaf)
Karan Kanchan & NDSDivine, MC Altaf, D’Evil, Karan Kanchan, NDS
ShehnaiStunnah Beatz & ByrdDivine, Stunnah Beatz, Byrd
Rider
(with Lisa Mishra)
Kanch & Stunnah BeatzDivine, Lisa Mishra, Shah Rule, Kanch, Stunnah Beatz, Kyle Sremberger
Top 5 D.O.A.Stunnah BeatzDivine, Stunnah Beatz
Drill Karte
(with Dutchavelli)
Stunnah BeatzDivine, Dutchvelli, Stunnah Beatz
Punya PaapiLL WaynoDivine, iLL Wayno
The Unforgiven 2021Shor Police & Devraj SanyalThe Metallica Blacklist
Spicy (Freeverse) Hit-Boy
Lion Heart 2022KSHMR
GunehgarHit-BoyDivine, Hit-BoyGunehgar
Baazigar
(ft. Armani White)
31Karan KanchanDivine, Armani White, Karan Kanchan, Anu Malik, Nawab Arzoo
Traffic Jam
(ft. Jadakiss)
iLL WaynoDivine, Jadakiss, iLL Wayno
Sitara
(ft. Jonita Gandhi)
Karan KanchanDivine, Jonita Gandhi, Karan Kanchan
Bornfire
(ft. Russ)
Karan Kanchan, Ramoon, Roc Legion & iLL WaynoDivine, Russ, Karan Kanchan, Anas Rahmoune, Joseph Watchorn, iLL Wayno
PlushHarry FraudDivine, Harry Fraud
BhookhStunnah Beatz & Hrithik BeatsDivine, Stunnah Beatz, Hrithik Beats
Street Lori
(ft. Wazir Patar)
Stunnah Beatz & Hrithik BeatsDivine, Wahzir, Stunnah Beatz, Hrithik Beats
HitmanStatik SelektahDivine, Statik Selektah
AkelaPhenomDivine, Phenom
Flex KarHit-BoyDivine, Hit-Boy
Blessings
(ft. Noizy)
Phenom & Karan KanchanDivine, Noizy, Phenom, Karan Kanchan
Chorni
(ft. Sidhu Moose Wala)
2023DRUGS BEATS & Mex MannyDivine, Sidhu Moose Wala

As featured artist

TrackYearProducer(s)Album
ABE 2014MOHALI MESSIAH
Jungle Raja 2015NucleyaBass Rani
Ryder Music Last Resort
Mitra Da Swag 2016Harm Sandhuwerk16
Daru Daru 2017Deep Jandu
City Slums Beat Busta & Jules Wolfson
Age 19 2019Deep JanduAge 19
Bombay To Punjab Deep JanduDown To Earth
No Competition 2020Jass ManakNo Competition
Bando Diaries (Remix)
Level Up DJ MissyKI
Don't Forgive Me 2021Stunnah BeatzHooked EP
Moosedrilla The KiddMoosetape
Kaala Ghoda Ikwinder SinghAll Bamb
Tu Te Kehndi C 2022Deep JanduI Am ICON
Busy Getting Paid 2023Starboy X
O Sajna (Badshah ft. Divine)2024Ek Tha Raja

Promotional tracks

SongYearArtist(s)Producer(s)Promoting
Shuffle2017Divine & SIRISid VashiBacardi Breezer Vivid
Suede GullyDivine, Prabh Deep, Khasi Bloodz & Madurai SouljourSneha KhanwalkarPuma
Kaam 252018DivinePhenomThe Netflix series Sacred Games
NY Se Mumbai2019Nas ft. Divine, Naezy & Ranveer SinghXD Pro & iLL WaynoGully Boy film
Be a KingDivine & SIRIBudweiser Experiences
Sock ThemDivineKaran KanchanPUMA
LegendsDivineRed Bull BC One
Salaam2020DivineGully Gang and Budweiser One Team initiative to support the frontline warriors fighting COVID-19
Jungle Mantra2021Divine ft. Vince Staples & Pusha TThe Netflix film The White Tiger
Kuch Karne KaDivineHP
Bach Ke RehnaDivine, Badshah, Jonita Gandhi & Mikey McClearyMikey McClearyThe Netflix film Red Notice
Naya Sher2023Divine & Jonita Gandhi ft. Virat KohliKaran KanchanRoyal Challenge

Film soundtracks

FilmYearSongCo-Singer(s)MusicNotes
Rum2017Pori Pathi VizhumAnirudh Ravichander, DiwakarAnirudh RavichanderTamil film
Mukkabaaz2018PaintraSolo Nucleya
Paintra (Extended Version)
BlackmailBadlaAmit Trivedi
Sacred GamesKaam 25 SoloDivine, Phenom and Yashraj Jaiswal (BGM music)As a lyricist
TV Series
Gully Boy2019Apna Time Aayega Ranveer Singh, Dub SharmaDub SharmaAs a lyricist
AzadiDub Sharma
Sher Aya SherMajor CChandrashekar Kunder
Mere Gully Mein Ranveer Singh, Naezy, Sez on the BeatSez on the Beat
DooriRanveer Singh, Rishi RichRishi RichAs a lyricist

Awards and nominations

! Year !! Award !! Category !! Song !! Result !! Ref.
2013 Rolling Stone IndiaBest Video Award Yeh Mera Bombay – Divine [30]
2015 GIMA AwardsBest EDM Track of the Year Jungle Raja (Bass Rani) – Nucleya ft. Divine [31]
2020 65th Filmfare AwardsBest LyricsApna Time Aayega (Gully Boy) – Divine & Ankur Tewari [32]
2021MTV Europe Music AwardsBest Indian Act[33]

Filmography

Documentaries

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Celebrities and their Goa stories. Venita. Gomes. Goa News in English on Gomantak Times.
  2. Web site: Divine Becomes the First Indian Rapper to Feature on New York's Times Square Billboard . 13 March 2021 . India West . IANS . 14 December 2020 . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20210126041218/https://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/bollywood/divine-becomes-the-first-indian-rapper-to-feature-on-new-york-s-times-square-billboard/article_50fd9aa0-3e3c-11eb-9072-8b044b7c1d39.html . 26 January 2021.
  3. Web site: HT Brunch cover story: What makes 'gully boy' Divine the coolest voice of contemporary Indian hip-hop . 6 July 2019 . Hindustan Times . en . 8 November 2019.
  4. Web site: 'I am a recognized name now, doesn't mean I'll forget my roots': DIVINE . 2022-07-30 . www.indulgexpress.com . en.
  5. Web site: 2017: The year when Indian hip-hop cemented its place on the music charts . Karkare . Aakash . Quartz India . 27 December 2017 . en . 28 June 2019.
  6. Will Mumbai rapper Divine become JB Nagar's Slumdog Millionaire? . Mid Day . 20 March 2016 . 20 March 2016.
  7. This hip-hop artist, who grew up in the slums of Mumbai, is going to London to perform on a BBC Radio show . DNA India . 8 April 2016.
  8. Mumbai Rapper Divine's Biographical Song Jungli Sher's Video Shot Completely On iPhones Is Taking Over The Internet . India Times . 18 March 2016 . 8 April 2016.
  9. Gurbaxani . Amit . Hindi Rapper Divine On Why He Signed With Mass Appeal India: ‘It’s Nas, Bro’ . . 13 September 2019 . 18 June 2024.
  10. Web site: Divine is taking Indian Hip-Hop Scene Global with Mass Appeal India . LyricsMINT . en-GB . 28 May 2020.
  11. Web site: The Divine & Nas Interview . . en.
  12. Web site: Universal Music India - Nas and Divine's interview . . en.
  13. Web site: 10 August 2021 . Mumbai's DIVINE is among the 21 most exciting young musicians on Planet Earth . live . GQ India . en-IN. https://web.archive.org/web/20210810120240/https://www.gqindia.com/entertainment/content/gq-voices-of-the-future . 10 August 2021 .
  14. Web site: MTV EMAs 2021: Rapper DIVINE wins for Best India Act; BTS, Ed Sheeran among top winners . 2022-09-15 . Free Press Journal . en.
  15. News: Saif Ali Khan to star in Netflix series Sacred Games . 14 July 2017 . Hindustan Times . 11 October 2017 . en.
  16. Web site: Sacred Games First Look: An Intense Edge-Of-The-Seat Drama Awaits Viewers . BookMyShow . 27 February 2018.
  17. Web site: Kaam 25 - DIVINE Sacred Games Netflix . . 18 June 2024 . en . 15 June 2018.
  18. Web site: Sacred Games: DIVINE embraces gullies of Mumbai in new track Kaam 25 for Netflix original . . 18 June 2024 . en-us . 15 June 2018.
  19. Web site: Gupta . Nidhi . Mumbai rapper DIVINE: Gully boy is based on real life story of Divine, Vivian Fernandes . . 18 June 2024 . en-IN . 14 February 2019.
  20. News: of sinner and Saints in Divine's New albumPunya Paap. The Hindu . 11 December 2020 . 4 November 2022.
  21. Web site: Divine announces new album 'Gunehgar' featuring global music stars Armani White Hit-Boy . 2022-11-10 . The Week . en.
  22. Web site: Rapper Divine Announces Gully Gang Entertainment to Record, Recruit and Produce Hip Hop Talent . News18 . 6 February 2019 . 9 February 2019.
  23. Web site: Gully Gang Cypher –Aavrutti, D'Evil, Shah Rule, Karan Kanchan . YouTube . 11 January 2020 . en.
  24. News: It's a wrap for BUDX . Tagat . Anurag . 23 March 2019 . The Hindu . 3 July 2019 . en-IN . 0971-751X.
  25. Web site: Divine's Gully Gang Records Kicks Off With 'Gully Gang Cypher' . www.thewildcity.com . en . 3 July 2019.
  26. News: Young Goan rapper Tsumyoki gets signed with Gully Gang - Times of India . 2022-09-22 . The Times of India . 2 October 2021 . en.
  27. Web site: 100RBH signs to Gully Gang Entertainment, announces new single 'Zanjeer' dedicated to the Babasaheb Ambedkar legacy . 2022-09-22 . www.radioandmusic.com . en.
    • Karan Aujla & Divine:https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-albums/2024-03-02/
    • Divine & Karan Aujla:https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=5764
  28. Web site: Divine . 12 August 2021 . Indiegaga . en.
  29. Web site: GIMA Awards 2016, 2016 Awards Function Gallery Images, GIMA Awards 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160707072355/http://www.hindustanlink.com:80/bollywood/filmfareawards/gima-awards-2016-winners-list.htm . 7 July 2016 .
  30. News: Kesari lyricist Manoj Muntashir vows to boycott award shows as Filmfare Best Lyrics award goes to Gully Boy . 19 February 2020 . PINKVILLA . en.
  31. Web site: MTV EMAs 2021: Rapper DIVINE wins for Best India Act; BTS, Ed Sheeran among top winners . 2022-06-22 . Free Press Journal . en.
  32. Web site: Gully Life review: Discovery's documentary takes a shallow dive into Divine's life . 1 July 2019 . Hindustan Times . en . 6 July 2019.
  33. Web site: Gully Life - Story of Divine. live. Youtube. https://web.archive.org/web/20190822012356/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmqRgIoHP8&gl=US&hl=en . 22 August 2019 .
  34. Web site: Presenting the most dynamic and versatile Singer – DIVINE. . Hungama.com . 24 November 2022 . en.