Naved Shaikh, better known as Naezy, is the iconic Indian rapper and hip-hop artiste who rose up from the narrow lanes of the crowded city of Mumbai to stand as Indian hip-hop’s undisputed crown prince with a prodigiously great voice. Born on August 10, 1993, in Kurla, suburbs of Mumbai, Naezy’s overnight sensation rags-to-riches achievement to become an icon of the nation in India is a result of determination, godsend, gift, and innovation with music.
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Early Life and Background
Naezy belonged to a lower-middle-class family in Ram Bachan Chawl, Kurla, Mumbai. His father used to work in the Gulf countries overseas and returned back home occasionally; Naved and his mother had to fend for themselves at home. The same was true for most children residing in the Mumbai chawls, and Naezy experienced the socio-economic deprivation, population density, and city life dynamics firsthand.
It is here that Naezy found shelter in music. Naezy was shaped by international Western hip-hop culture by an international lineup of musicians such as Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Nas. Naezy started connecting to rebellion, social issues, and self-storytelling. The genre-converted Naezy to write his own lines, telling stories about his neighborhood, the agony of the ordinary man, and the issues the world ignored in the mainstream world.
Naezy’s age point of turnaround in 2014 was when he put out his first track Aafat, which he even produced and recorded on an iPad. The track, in a blend of Hindi, Marathi, and Urdu and uncut words, reached social media users within minutes as it went viral. Its realness, streety flavor of rhymes, and on-the-street portrayal of Mumbai street life turned Naezy overnight into a new sensation as a new face in Indian hip-hop.
Aafat not only established Naezy’s rap skills in the limelight but also popularized his style — fusion of local slangs and socially relevant topics. Stardom led to this, followed by the collaborations with other emerging hip-hop rappers of Mumbai, and soon there was a robust underground rap culture.
Rise to Fame and Bollywood Connection
Naezy grew even more famous with a hard-hitting approach to the point of working alongside the second Mumbai rapper, Divine, on the track Mere Gully Mein in 2015. The track was the launchpad in Indian hip-hop history for being the actual vision of Mumbai street life and the poor youth. Success from the song put the underground gully rap into the national spotlight.
This meteoric ascent was observed by Bollywood, and Naezy and Divine’s life influenced director Zoya Akhtar’s 2019 award-winning film Gully Boy, which starred Ranveer Singh. Loosely depicting the life of street rappers in Mumbai and how hip-hop culture began in India, the film was released in 2019. Naezy appeared in the music album of the film as well as its conceptualization for its real-life depiction of gully rap culture.
Social Message and Personal Challenges
Despite his success, Naezy’s career involved personal challenges. His career was soured by legal issues and social challenges that made him shelf his music temporarily in 2018. Nevertheless, he came back on top with his first album Maghreb in 2020, reflecting on his experience, personal development, and revisit of interest in penning social issues in music.
Naezy’s rap deals with topics regarding poverty, disparity, corruption, and the true situation of Indian urban youth in real life day by day. He is socially conscious as a rapper but upholds the cause of voiceless people to give voice to themselves and initiate a positive change.
Legacy and Influence
Naezy is now a hip-hop icon from India who has opened doors to the generation next of Indian street rappers. Besides music, he leaves a mark because he is an inspiration and motivation and hope for the youth who want to be free from their bog by voice and art. Naezy continues to be a trendsetter with his new way and crazy tales and leaves a trend to India’s multi-nourished and budding music culture.
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