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Divine's New Album Reveals Evolution and Spiritual Grounding Amid Dominance

Rapper Divine is dropping his fifth studio album, and it's packed with meaning. He calls it a declaration of his personal evolution and spiritual journey. The record features a ton of cool collaborators and even some reworked Bollywood classics. It's another big step for the artist who helped put Indian hip-hop on the map.

Key Points: Rapper Divine Premieres Fifth Studio Album Walking On Water

  • The 16-track album chronicles Divine's ascent from Mumbai's gullies to global hip-hop fame
  • It features diverse collaborators and bold Bollywood sample reinterpretations
  • The sonic palette ranges from trap and Afro-pop to introspective minimalism
  • Divine is a pioneer who brought Indian hip-hop to mainstream attention
2 min read

Rapper Divine on new album: Declaration of evolution, dominance, reflection, spiritual grounding

Divine unveils his fifth album 'Walking On Water,' a 16-track declaration of evolution and spiritual grounding, chronicling his journey from Mumbai's streets to global hip-hop.

"This album is a declaration of evolution, dominance, reflection and spiritual grounding—celebrating everything I’ve built and everything I’ve survived. – Divine"

Mumbai, Dec 19

Known for belting numbers such as Kaam 25, Apna Time Aayega, Chal Bombay and Baazigar, Rapper Divine is all set to premiere his fifth studio album ‘Walking On Water’, which he says is a declaration of evolution, dominance, reflection and a spiritual grounding.

Divine said: “This album is a declaration of evolution, dominance, reflection and spiritual grounding—celebrating everything I’ve built and everything I’ve survived. It’s an album for the streets. For the culture. For the believers. And for those who doubted.”

The 16-track testimonial chronicling his ascent from the gullies of Mumbai to the global hip-hop arena.

Released via Gully Gang, the album features an elite roster of collaborators including artists like Hanumankind, Gurinder Gill, Riar Saab, MC Altaf, Sammohit and Kalyani Priyadarshan, producers ZZORAWAR, Stunnah Beatz and Phenom alongside bold reinterpretations of some of Bollywood’s most iconic tracks such as A.R. Rahman’s timeless ‘Kehna Hi Kya’, and R.D. Burman’s classics ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’ along with ‘Give Me Some Sunshine’ from 3 Idiots.

‘Walking on Water’ has a diverse sonic palette ranging from trap and Afro-pop to Bollywood film samples, introspective minimalism and high-energy Gully Gang cyphers.

Divine is credited as one of the pioneers of the Indian hip-hop scene and for bringing it to mainstream attention. His lyrics often reflect his experiences growing up in the chawls of Mumbai, focusing on themes such as street life, struggles, and aspirations.

He started gaining popularity after the release of his single "Yeh Mera Bombay" in 2013. He broke through with the release of "Mere Gully Mein" in 2015, which featured fellow Mumbai-based rapper Naezy.

He became the first Indian rapper to be featured on Spotify Times Square billboard in New York City for his album Punya Paap in 2020.

He made his debut at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022 becoming the first Indian hip-hop star to attend the Grammys.

His third studio album, Gunehgar was released in 2022, which was preceded by the hit single "Baazigar" featuring American rapper Armani White. Further, Divine went on to release his fourth multi track project in the form of a collaborative album with Punjabi singer Karan Aujla.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Love that he's talking about spiritual grounding and reflection. His music has evolved so much from 'Yeh Mera Bombay'. It's inspiring to see an artist grow while staying true to his roots. Pre-ordered already!
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Rohit P
The feature list is insane! Hanumankind, Gurinder Gill, Riar Saab... this is like the Avengers of Indian hip-hop. 16 tracks is a proper treat for fans. Hope it lives up to the hype.
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Sarah B
As someone who discovered Indian hip-hop through Divine, this is exciting. The blend of trap, Afro-pop, and Bollywood samples sounds ambitious. Wishing him all the best from the US!
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Vikram M
Respect for the journey, no doubt. But I hope this album has more of the raw, gritty gully vibes and less of the polished commercial sound. 'Gunehgar' was good, but 'Mere Gully Mein' era was something else. Just my two paise.
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Ananya R
"An album for the streets. For the culture." Chills! He represents Mumbai like no one else. The fact that he's sampling 'Give Me Some Sunshine' is genius. Can't wait to blast this on my morning local train ride.

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