On their debut album, the Hyderabad group Thugs Unit—Mudassir Ahmed, who rhymes under the avatars of reggae MC Mo Boucher and rapper Atishbaz, and Syed Irshad, otherwise known as Irish Boi—prove a distinct voice in Indian hip-hop. The duo make conscious rap in a mix of Urdu and Jamaican patois. This interplay works surprisingly well as they take down divisive politicians over old-school beats on “Atishbazi” and “Pardafash”. While their focus is on calling out corruption and communalism in society, they mix things up with more contemplative tunes like “Roobaroo” and “Kun”.
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