Enkore: ‘I Wanted The Music To Reflect Some Of The Inner Turmoil I'd Been Dealing With'

The rapper on the process of making ‘Bombay Soul,’ one of Indian hip-hop’s most powerful, honest records this year

- Riddhi Chakraborty

Earlier this year, Mumbai-based rapper Ankur Johar aka Enkore penned an open letter to introduce his sophomore album Bombay Soul. It’s not something many artists have done in the past and it spoke volumes about his willingness to let fans see a brand new side of him. He wrote, “I realized that I didn’t know how it was going to work out, but I had to make this music. I only had theories of where it came from but I was sure about where it had to go. I would never be able to sleep easy if I didn’t put the hours in and get my hands dirty, regardless of the outcome.” The letter went on to outline his struggles with anxiety, stress and depression, as well as setting out on a journey to understand himself better through music.

Bombay Soul, which dropped on December 3rd, was the outlet through which Enkore chose to express his thoughts around life, his middle class upbringing, the hip-hop industry and his relationships with other people. There’s a vulnerability to the record it all that makes it stand out from anything most Indian hip-hop artists are currently doing and that probably makes it one of the most important releases of the year. Where there is determination and anger in the lyricism, there is also fear and uncertainty within Bombay Soul’s six tracks.

Mixed and mastered by Mumbai producer Vineeth Patil with New Delhi hip-hop producer Sez On The Beat taking the reins on production, Bombay Soul is built on smooth R&B, old school soul, chill lo-fiblends and subtle desi instrumentals floating throughout. “I love soulful music and I love tastefully done desi music, so I wanted to bring those tastes of mine to the table together,” says Enkore. “But I also [wanted it] reflect some of the inner turmoil and emotions I’d been dealing with--which gave the project a slightly darker tinge.”