His name is Lakshmi Narasimhan Vijaya Rajagopal Sheshadri Sharma Rajesh Raman. And he is a rapper. Known better as Blaaze, the artiste who made his entry into the Indian music industry through `B to the A' for the Rajnikanth starrrer `Baba,' has been working on many of the musical legend A.R. Rahman's works.
Having worked on Rahman's`Kisna-The Warrior Poet' and `Warriors of Heaven and Earth,' their latest venture is `Pray For Me Brother,' an anthem for eradicating poverty.
The rapper who hit the limelight through his rap number with Big B in `Bunty aur Bubli' says he owes his success to years of perseverance. "My first number in the industry was `East or West' (Judwaa) for which I did not receive any credit. I was disheartened and realised one needed a godfather in the industry. But I never gave up dreaming or hoping for a break. You need a never say die attitude if you want to survive in the industry."
It was Sivamani who introduced Blaaze to Rahman. Although the first meeting did not prove fruitful, the second time worked a charm. "The first time I met Rahman, he asked if I could rap in Tamil. I said as I thought in English, I normally rap in English, but I could try. I guess it was the "I could try" that stayed in his mind. It was my wife, Nandini, who works for Sony Music who got me the opening when she met him for a recording. She asked if he remembered me and the rest is history."
Blaaze says he has reached where he is today through his parents' encouragement. His first stint in rapping happened during a presidential election campaign in Zambia where his father worked. "I wrote a poem about one of the candidates. My father, R.V. Raman, then took me to the television station and I rapped it out in front of the camera." The candidate won and it helped boost Blaaze's morale.
According to Blaaze, he always writes his own lyrics. "I think it's important especially for rap as you are saying what's in your head."
A relatively new genre in the Indian music industry, Blaaze admits it is difficult introducing the Indian listeners to his style of music.
"Most people think rap is all about `Yo Yo Yo.' To me Rap is `rhythm and poetry' and I try to spread a social message in a non-preachy way through this. The artiste says he adheres to Rahman's advice of taking things slow. Blaaze who is known as Rajesh to his family says Blaaze is his rap name. With `Sivaji' out, Blaaze is on a roll. He is looking forward to his album `Zambesi funk' to hit the stands in June.
Another album will have him working with a "real prince." "Yeah, I will be working with Prince Ali, the Nawab of Arcot.
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