Wild Wild Women on owning Hip-Hop and rapping in saris

Rapping in every tongue

What sets Wild Wild Women apart is their multilingual verses. They rap in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and English, bringing regional pride to a global genre. “People connect more when I rap in Marathi,” says MC Mahila. “In Marathi, especially in Maharashtra or Mumbai, it’s like, ‘Oh, she’s spitting fire.’ The connection grows when we represent our own language.”

JQueen, a Tamilian, recalls performing in Chennai: “On stage, I couldn’t hear the crowd, thinking they weren’t interested. But in the videos, they were so loud! When I spoke in Tamil, they connected with me differently. I could literally feel the difference.”

Krantinaari reflects on the deeper politics of language: “We’re creating for our people and ourselves. The colonisers have left. Our story is ours. The only way to fight it is to preserve our culture through our own tongues. English connects us globally, but our native languages are just as vital.”