Desi hip-hop is on fire as Uday and Gaush, two of the most promising contestants from MTV Hustle 03, get into a heated lyrical battle. It all began as competition on the show, but now it’s turned into a rap feud that has caught the attention of fans and industry insiders.

How It All Started

Uday vs Gaush, Hustle 03 Semi Finals – The two met in the semi finals of Hustle 03 and Uday took the win after Gaush slipped which split fans. Uday went on to win the show while Gaush was eliminated. Post the show, the contestants were under contract and weren’t allowed to release music for a year. 

As soon as that clause was lifted, Uday dropped “Contract” which many thought had subtle digs at Gaush. Gaush replied with “Shanti” featuring Muhfaad keeping it indirect but adding more fuel to the fire. But it was Uday’s “Unblock” that sparked the fire by throwing direct shots and setting off a chain of diss tracks.

The Diss Track Exchange

Unblock” (by Uday) contained strong assertions for the fairness of Hustle 03 while discussing issues with Gaush. He also cited several industry people making the track even more influential. 

However, Gaush reacted immediately with “Industry Plant,” a nine-minute diss track with a music video, disputing Uday’s assertions and challenging the validity of his victory. He also mentioned some problems he encountered on the show, and discussed some issues related to the setup of the competition. 

The dialectic has elicited responses in the fans, with people endorsing Uday’s belief in himself (i.e. trust and confidence) and people empathizing for Gaush’s judgement point (i.e. bet and counterbet).

Evaluating the Impact

While “Contract” by Uday’s was well received, “Unblock” was a clear cut winner which addressed wider issues with public reaction but stirred up controversy. Gaush’s “Shanti” where it was a complete surprise, but “Industry Plant” conveyed a stronger narrative but also had flaws.

Uday’s latest track ‘Victim Card‘ attempts to clarify his stance on the issues but due to its reaction remains up for debate.

The Bigger Picture

Both lyricists are talented and each artist should be considered a lyricist of high calibre yet the exchange that is currently being undertaken appears to have become more focused on personal disputes rather than lyric demonstration. Compared to classic hip-hop fighting between Desi lyricists it seems in this dispute that there is a greater focus on external issues rather than intricate word play and style delivery.

Were the dropping crews to continue on in this vein, it would be interesting to see whether the concepts of the craft will reemerge and both lyricists will change their mindset to picking bar fights rather than discussing external issues.

As the situation is being watched with interest the real question is will the feud between the two elevate their creativity on the pitch or disrupt their artistic technique?

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