8 Best Indian Hip-Hop Songs (September & October)
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by Rahul
Some months are overflowing with big releases, and some months are quieter, more reflective. September and October felt like the latter.
So instead of forcing a list of 10 just because that’s what we’ve done before, we kept this one tight: 8 tracks that actually stayed in rotation, kept us thinking, or made us feel something real. To keep it diverse, we’ve included only one song per artist.
So whether you’re discovering new talent or revisiting artists you already love, this isn’t just a rap song list but a celebration of Indian hip-hop at its boldest and most creative self.
1) Farhan Khan – “Ghar” feat. Mehtab Ali Niazi (Prod. by Deetocx)
If there’s one track that captures just how far Desi Hip-Hop has evolved sonically, it’s Ghar.
Closing out the first disc of Alif Laila, the song blends hip-hop, classical instrumentation, and deeply personal writing into something both intimate and expansive.
Mehtab Ali Niazi’s sitar isn’t just there for aesthetic, it speaks. The solo stretches like a memory you can’t fully hold onto, expressing the album’s emotional emptiness better than any lyric could.
It’s easily one of the boldest uses of sitar we’ve heard in the genre, turning the instrument into a second narrator rather than background texture.
Deetocx, who also produced Jawab De, is the quiet force here. If Mr. Doss is the backbone of the album, Deetocx is the thread holding its pulse together.
Ghar doesn’t just close Disc 1, it leaves you sitting with your own silence.
2) Poetik Justis – “Phone Go Bling” feat Smokey The Ghost, Started Off Poor (Prod. by H.H.B)
Building off the momentum of his album Kala Pani, Phone Go Bling proves Poetik Justis isn’t just another voice, he’s a force pushing Desi Hip-Hop’s boundaries.
From the moment the beat hits, the track pulses with ambition: a catchy hook, sharp wordplay, and an edge that keeps you listening.
What stands out? It’s how he takes the idea of “bling” — often a symbol of excess — and turns it into commentary.
HHB’s production gives the track its swagger. Smokey The Ghost delivers with his signature sharpness, but it’s Started Off Poor who steals the show, closing the track with a verse that cuts through the glamor and gets right to the wound.
This is the kind of commentary we need more of in Indian hip-hop: thoughtful, self-aware, and still just as replayable.
3) Bhaskar – “Dalli” feat. Encore ABJ (Prod. by RiJ)
From his album Dalli, Bhaskar delivers one of the most emotionally complete pieces in his catalogue to date.
What makes “Dalli” stand out? It’s the way Bhaskar uses melody and confession in equal measure — embedding introspection into a sound palette that could easily go mainstream, yet remains indivisibly personal.
The production by Rijul is top notch, Encore ABJ with his verse shows once again why he is considered one of the finest writers in the scene.
But even with his strong performance, it’s the sound that lingers. Dalli is proof that vulnerability, craft, and replay value can co-exist, and when they do, the result hits different.
4) Prabh Deep – “Diwani” (Prod. by Scuti)
Prabh Deep remains, in our view, the artist with the strongest discography in Desi Hip-Hop. He’s a true album artist: someone who thinks in arcs, themes, and emotional journeys, yet even his standalone singles feel intentional and fully realized.
His recent collaborations with Scuti have unlocked a particularly special space: restrained, reflective, and quietly powerful. Diwani is a perfect example. The hook floats, the production breathes, and the writing moves with a calm self-assurance that only comes from an artist who knows exactly who he is.
The line: “Tera dimaag kharab hai, tu meri keemat laaye ga? I’m priceless, bitch.” — hits like a thesis statement.
Prabh isn’t trying to prove anything anymore. The work speaks for itself.
This is one of those songs that stays on loop during late-night drives, where the road is empty, the mind clears, and the music sits with you instead of shouting at you.
5) Albela – “Kisiki Zaroorat Nahi Hai” (Prod. by Dronark)
Albela is one of the most honest voices in the scene. We first came across him back in the 2020 Red Bull Spotlight, and even then, there was something unmistakable in his delivery.
But it wasn’t until digging into his catalog later that the full picture came into focus: the depth, the sincerity, the unfiltered truth he puts into every line.
On “Kisiki Zaroorat Nahi Hai”, from his EP Bohot Ajeeb Artist, Albela reflects on the journey of choosing art even when rewards don’t come easy, fast, or at all. It’s the voice of someone who has stayed committed to the craft without the applause, and has now grown into a calm, almost spiritual confidence.
And the best part? It’s finally happening.
The audience is catching up.
People are starting to see what was always there.
6) Emiway Bantai – “Those Dayz” (Prod. by Memax)
Emiway is one of the most polarizing artists in the scene, and often unfairly so. Narratives, controversies, and industry politics have overshadowed just how naturally gifted he is.
While not every release hits the same level, his willingness to experiment, reinvent, and push himself has always been undeniable.
Those Dayz is one of those moments where everything locks into place. The writing is reflective, vulnerable, and grounded in a lived reality familiar to anyone who’s grown up without privilege. But the real magic is that the emotion travels beyond background or circumstance. Even those of us who didn’t share those struggles can feel the ache in the chest when the hook lands.
Memax’s production is warm and understated, giving Emiway the space to breathe, remember, and speak from the heart. There’s no performance here, just honesty.
It’s a reminder that when Emiway slows down and lets the feeling lead, he delivers in a way only he can.
7) Bhappa – “Sawaal” feat. The Siege (Prod. by Zero Chill)
This one genuinely took us by surprise. Sawaal sits in that emotional pocket where The Siege usually thrives — introspective, heavy, and unguarded — but what makes the track hit harder is Bhappa matching that tone with some of his sharpest writing and delivery in recent memory.
Zero Chill’s production is perfectly measured. There’s space in the beat, enough room for each word to land, for silence to have weight, for emotion to breathe.
And when Siegе steps in, he does what he always does: intensity without forcing it, presence without volume. But the highlight here is Bhappa’s growth.
This isn’t just a verse, it’s someone asking themselves questions they don’t fully have answers to.
This is a 2:00 AM song, the kind you don’t just listen to… you sit with it.
8) shauharty – “Keith Haring” feat. Ghildiyal, Frappe Ash, Raaj Babu (Prod. by shauharty, Arslan & pakeezah)
The closing spot goes to one of the most compelling underground voices right now. Keith Haring comes from Farookh, shauharty’s second mixtape: a project that examines ego, identity, displacement, sexuality, and the private truths most rappers refuse to say out loud.
Keith Haring was an artist who believed that identity, desire, pain, and joy could be public and unapologetic. He painted his truth openly, refusing to make his art polite or commercially “acceptable.”
When shauharty opens the song with:
“I woke up as Keith Haring one day / My radiant baby not for sale,” he’s saying the same thing: My story is mine. My identity is mine. My art is not for sale.
The track moves between confession and confrontation, swagger protecting vulnerability.
Each verse feels like someone trying to speak honestly in a world that constantly demands performance. Ghildiyal, Frappe Ash, and Raaj Babu all bring their own emotional registers, but they’re not competing: they’re sharing space, holding the mirror at different angles.
The production is intentional in its restraint, sparse enough that silence carries weight, textured enough to hold memory. Nothing here is polished for mass appeal, and that’s the point.
Where many rappers flex invincibility, Keith Haring chooses something braver:
to be seen in your contradictions, and still say, I am not changing this for you.
This is one of those songs that doesn’t just get played: it gets felt, absorbed, and carried.
Outro
These eight tracks show the range of where Desi Hip-Hop is right now: vulnerable, experimental, personal, and still hungry.
Whether they came from household names or artists building from the ground up, each of these records carries intent.
As always, if there’s something we missed, tell us. Desi Renaissance isn’t here to dictate taste: we’re here to document the culture as it grows.
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