Mumbai hip-hop artist Naezy instantly became one of the poster boys for gully rap when he and fellow rapper DIVINE spat out lyrics on smash hit “Mere Gully Mein” in 2015. Since then, he’s honed his skills and sharpened his tongue on his journey to the upper echelons of India’s music scene. Setting his bars to the rhythm and chaos of the Mumbai chawls where he grew up, the star has garnered a huge following over the years, aided in no small part by the 2019 release of Gully Boy, the Bollywood film inspired by his rise alongside DIVINE. The rapper’s journey hasn’t been without incident, though. In 2018, Naezy (aka Naved Shaikh) disappeared from the limelight, citing pressures such as fame and family. He returned a year later but if anyone—including the rapper himself—had to summarise his more recent footprint in music, it would be best described as sporadic. He tells Apple Music: “I think of it as phases of life that come and go. In every phase, I’ve survived. I don’t think I left—the audience was always listening to my songs and I was in their hearts and minds.” Naezy engages in introspection in a way that only he can, without mincing any words whatsoever—in fact, he is unfiltered and starkly honest about his life on his 2024 EP, Anti Fitna. At its core, he addresses how rap is used by some to pull down their peers and spread negativity. “A lot of rappers are very unashamedly disrespecting women and using profane language,” he says. “It might work in America but in India it shouldn’t be that way. I wanted to raise my voice to spread this message.” Anti Fitna is a relentless rap record. Across four tracks and a bonus cut, the EP is a showcase for Naezy’s ever-present passion, energy and wit. He tells us, in fact, that the release is part of his mission to continue sharpening his craft. He says he used to be “more dope” when he was younger, rapping while he was still a college student. “Life was more stress-free [back then],” he says, “and I had very few responsibilities.” Now he’s older, fiercer and keen to live up to high expectations. Anti Fitna came into being after Naezy invited the record’s producer Vernon Tauro into his home for a jam and the songwriting blossomed from there. Together they crafted an EP that branches out into the electronic, grime and boom bap arenas, with the rapper’s verses—as razor sharp as ever—taking centre stage throughout. Here, he takes Apple Music through the EP, track by track. “Intro 2024” “In the intro, I wanted to give a response to people’s questions and comments over a unique tempo that was electronic. I wanted to make the delivery fast, new-age and futuristic. That’s why I used English. I’m trying to tap into the sound that’s going to come in 2025 and 2026—and give it to people now. There’s electronic and dubstep sounds to stand out from other people’s music and so that there’s a new culture of innovation and invention. The delivery is unique and answers where I was, what I was doing, what I’m doing now and what I have set out to do in the future. It’s got my signature style and I made it very rapid.” “Third Diya” “‘Third Diya’ is Bombay slang which means to expel someone. To say ‘third diya’ means you have removed them from your life or your surroundings. It’s been a regular exercise in history, like how we gave the British the ‘third’. For your rights and well-being, if you remove traitors and people whose true colours you’ve seen from your life, that’s called ‘third diya’. I’ve done that with a lot of people in my life and that’s what this song is about. The beat is [partly inspired by] the Southside US hip-hop [scene in Queens, New York], like 50 Cent’s beats. It’s got a gangsta beat. In it, I rap that I’ve expelled smart-asses and toxic and troublesome people from my life. I’ve made this song so that people can relate to it. There are always times in all our lives when we have to expel someone from our lives.” “Paar” “I write a lot of positive songs, like ‘Azaad Hu Mai’ and ‘Asal Hustle’. It’s a side of me I’ve carried forward from when I was a beautiful person. Now, I think I’m a bit corrupted and make songs like ‘Third Diya’, but the positive side of me is still being explored on ‘Paar’. In matters of love, hard work, self-control and so many other things, I’ve had to show people that I’ve pushed my boundaries. I wanted to make something this positive, and I made this with all my heart. This is a gift to the people I love.” “Anti Fitna” “I wanted this to have a dark and serious vibe, so that’s what I told my producer. I was originally going to go in another direction with this but when the phrase ‘Anti Fitna’ came to me, I was thinking about how music is considered haram and disallowed in Islam. Even at home, there’s always a problem with me making music—I’m told that this is not allowed in our religion because of the wildness and entertainment that’s associated with it. We’re peaceful folk who pray and meditate. Music doesn’t fit into that. “I felt very bad about it and took it to heart. I wanted to express and question the thoughts in my head—is music haram or halal? Should I carry on or not? Should I pick another profession? It’s one of my life’s biggest conundrums and I’m not able to make any decision. There’s no support within my family and I’ve surrendered to Allah for his support. He knows my conscience is clean. My art, my music—it’s all a gift from God. We have to grow closer together with music, fight important battles and communicate with people to bring about change. That’s what I’ve shared in the song. It’s serious and conscious hip-hop.”