Grammy nominated artist is the first female rapper to sign a deal with the prestigious music label.
There may be a lot more diversity happening in music than you would believe.
Indian American Grammy nominated rapper, songwriter and composer Raja Kumari has just signed a deal with Mass Appeal India — a collaboration between famous American rapper Nas’ entertainment company and Universal Music India.
Los Angeles based Raja Kumari is the first female rapper to sign a deal with the prestigious music label and is arguably the only Indian origin female rapper to have made a mark for herself in the genre.
Kumari, whose original name is Shvetha Rao, grew up in California in an immigrant household.
Her parents moved to the US from India during the 70s. Aptly reflecting her roots and her childhood her first single for the label to be released in April this year will be called ‘NRI’.
This may not bevthe first time that Kumari has as a performer of color broken boundaries.
She has in fact, in the past had successful collaborations with artists like Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea and Fat Out Boy.
A trained Indian classical dancer, Kumari has been making her mark in the hip-hop segment.
In her new move, she follows famous artist Divine, who had recently signed a deal with Mass Appeal India. Kumari has been dividing her time between Mumbai and LA.
Through her work and her music, she has been able to maintain that her music is about an effective reflection of the eastern and western philosophies in music.
A successful musician in America, Kumari had a tryst with Bollywood too. She appeared in a cameo role in Ranvir Singh starrer Gully Boy