The name Mehak Ashraf may not be a familiar one to most in India, but on the music scene, she is someone gradually making a name for herself.
This 21-year-old undergraduate student of Srinagar’s Women’s College is Kashmir’s only female rapper, which should come as a surprise, given the largely conservative environment she has been brought up in and lived for the better of her life.
A great fan and follower of famous American rap singer Eminem, through whose music and songs she first got captivated by the genre of rap, Mehak is popularly known as by her stage name “Menime”, which is Eminem spelled backwards.
This first female rapper of Kashmir has spent the last nine years perfecting her skills as a musician, breaking the “male” glass ceiling in a manner of speaking, and using her vocal delivery of "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular" to highlight, or red-flag pressing societal issues and problems. Her brand of music, according to her, has attracted a considerable following on various platforms, including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, and most of them are GenNext.
Brighter Kashmir caught up with Mehak on a bright and sunny morning in Srinagar, her hometown. The interview:
BK: Kindly tell us your name, where are you from and what are you doing these days?
Mehak Ashraf: My name is Mehak Ashraf. I am 21 and I am from Srinagar, Kashmir. I am an undergraduate student and apart from that, I am a rapper and a lyricist.
BK: We have heard that you are Kashmir’s only female rap singer. When did you get attracted to this genre of music?
Mehak Ashraf: I was 12-years-old when I was first exposed to YouTube. The first song that I saw on that platform was one sung by rapper Eminem. At that time, rap was something very new to me, as I had never heard a rap song before. I loved the song and started to search and find out more about Eminem, the artist, like how he started his journey in music, what were the kind of struggles he had to face before reaching the top of his profession and how he has remained one of the top rap artists for so long, etc. I got a lot of inspiration from that search.
BK: What motivated you to take up rap?
Mehak Ashraf: At the age of 13, I just sort of looked around me; to see what all was happening around me, in my surroundings, like what was happening in Kashmir at that time; and, I thought, why not try out rap music, become a rapper, to express myself, my feelings. I was really inspired by searching and watching for information on Eminem. It is because of my fascination with his type of music that I got interested in finding out about other artists on the net like Nicki Minaj (famous rap singer from the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago), etc. I got to understand the concept behind what makes rap tick as a popular form of music.
BK: What was your family’s reaction to your decision to take up rap music? Kashmir society is by and large traditional and conservative in its outlook?
Mehak Ashraf: When I first started out, my family had doubts, and were very strong in expressing their reservations. They said things like ‘you are a girl, there will be a backlash from people in society, people will make comments, what will people think about you, etc.’ I, however, chose to look at things differently and here I am, the first female rapper of this region. I believe I am doing well in it and, therefore, I think I must continue with it. See, it’s okay, it balances out in the end, if there are five people who hate what I am doing, and there are ten others who are complimenting me for the same.
BK: What is the kind of message that you would like to send out and what is your aim in life?
Mehak Ashraf: My message is that we must encourage talent, encourage artists. Then only will they get motivated and inspired to do something new, something fresh, if they are encouraged. Support is very necessary for any kind of artist. I want to achieve something in my life. I have had my share of struggles. I have had to start from scratch, and had no support (as we understand it) at the beginning. So, I scanned, searched and learnt from YouTube at first, used the medium to promote my brand of rap and music; then moved onto other platforms like Instagram to get more followers. If a person has to start something, he or she has to start from the bottom, if you start from the bottom, you work hard, then obviously you will be on top, or reach it at some point. I do freestyle rap. (She sings).
BK: What else would you like to say?
Mehak Ashraf: If you want to do something, be ready to receive criticism, be ready to face rejection, learn from it; only then can you aspire to reach the top. Yes, it is important to get the support of your family; you need to convince them that. ‘This is what I want to do; this is what I am interested in doing’. If they see that you are doing well and that you have the required desire to pursue it, then obviously, they will support you. If you don’t have a platform, start from somewhere, the bottom if need be, start with YouTube, use your phone to record and send it out to a wider audience, see their reactions and responses, seek to improve as you go along. Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook as well, it will get picked up, get views, etc. In the beginning, there were problems, for example, I did not start out from a studio, I used a phone to record my rap songs, Inshallah, you will be on top one day, you know, if you start out, work hard.
According to reports, Mehak was first noticed in 2016 by radio jockey Sameen of the Red FM radio channel. He was keen to give emerging hip-hop and or traditional singers a platform to perform. Mehak caught his attention when he heard her sing some of Eminem’s songs. Sameen decided to recommend her to Kashmiri record label and local musical band AHM Dexterity. They listened to her sons, got hooked, and the rest as they say is history. She is now one of Kashmir’s popular vocalists.