Mumbai based rapper Divine is one of the best rappers in India. He is credited for taking the Indian hip hop culture to a whole new level. He gained all the attention with his song ‘Meri Gully Mein.’ His lyrics touched millions of hearts as they were real enough for the people to relate. His words highlighted the real-life issues in big cities. Subsequently, the gully boy and his songs became so famous that a new phenomenon of gully rap was born.
You must have heard of the blockbuster movie ‘Gully Boy’ starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. The film was loosely based on the real-life of the original gully boy, Divine.
All those who haven’t heard of this movie even once- Are you guys for real?
Gully Boy was the craze for several months. That movie won 13 Filmfare awards and was in headlines for its raw and real content.
There is also a documentary based on Divine’s real life, titled ‘Gully Life: The Story of DIVINE.’ It is a production of Red Bull Media House.
His story is a true inspiration for the youth.
Here are the ten exciting and lesser-known facts about the superstar DIVINE.
1) Divine is not his Real Name!
The real name of the Gully Boy is Vivian Fernandes. Divine is his stage name. He chose this name because he used to do religious rap. In his early years, he used to visit the church with his grandmother, and that’s when he started writing gospel songs. After drafting three gospel songs, he decided that the name Divine will be perfect.
2) As the rapper DIVINE, the first word he wrote was ‘Gully’!
When Divine was the part of rap crew Mumbai’s Finest, he only wrote in English. He presumed that English was the only language in which hip-hop could work. But soon, he left the crew and started exploring other possible options as an individual rapper.
Subsequently, he realized that people around him preferably spoke Hindi, and for this reason, they couldn’t understand his English raps and songs.
He always remembered his roots. As the rapper Divine, he began writing Hindi raps about the place where he belonged. The first word he wrote was ‘gully,’ and his first song was ‘Yeh Mera Bombay.’
3) For him, the meaning of Success was a reunion with his mother!
As a child, Divine used to live with his grandma, and she only introduced him to music. His mother worked abroad, and because of this, he used to see his mom only a couple of times in the entire year.
When he established his career as a Rapper, his definition of success was to bring back his mother to India to live for the rest of her life with him.
He ultimately fulfilled his dream after 13 years, and finally, his mother saw him live on the stage with Nucleya.
4) He was the first Indian Rapper to get featured on Fire In The Booth
After the release of his song ‘Mere Gully Mein’ in 2016, BBC Asia Network invited him to be a part of their popular segment, Fire In The Booth. The show was all about upcoming rappers from all across the globe. Divine was the first rapper born and bought up in India to get featured in the segment. Reputed hip hop DJ Charlie Sloth made a guest appearance on the show, and Divine got the chance to freestyle with him.
5) Popular song ‘Mere Gully Mein’ was kind of a protest song!
Divine was not a silver spoon boy. His life was a total roller coaster ride with several ups and downs. He lived in the slum area of Andheri and witnessed the construction of an international airport in his vicinity. He felt like the rich were becoming more wealthy, and the poor were at a loss. So he decided to be the voice of the poor and composed the song ‘Mere Gully Mein,’ which bought him immense popularity.
6) He got inspired to start Gully Gang after his Collaboration with Nucleya!
Electronic Music Producer Nucleya reached out to Divine to work on a song together after the release of his song ‘Jungli Sher’ in 2016. They worked together on the song ‘Jungle Raja.’ Divine completed the lyrics within a single day and went on tours with Nucleya to perform the single. This was the first time when he performed in front of over 10,000 to 15,000 people. Subsequently, he realized the importance of stage presence. So he came up with the notion of Gully Gang to deliver live performances for enhancing his fan base.
7) His house is the headquarters for hip hop band, Gully Gang!
Divine’s residence in JB Nagar plays a crucial role in his rap career. He drafted some of his blockbuster songs like ‘Jungli Sher’ and ‘Mere Gully Mein’ in that house. The lyrics of one of the most famous songs, ‘Mere Gully Mein,’ were also composed there.
When he formed his hip hop band, Gully Gang, his home became the band’s headquarters.
Divine continues to live in his same old house because he wants to stay close to his pals, who helped him in his initial years.
8) Divine doesn’t relate to Honey Singh’s songs!
Divine once told that he doesn’t connect to the music of Bollywood’s famous singer, Honey Singh. The reason behind this is that he feels it is not real hip hop. In his opinion, almost all of Honey Singh’s songs are about girls, alcohol, and money, whereas he wants the audience to listen to real hip hop.
9) Divine produced the soundtrack of popular Netflix series, Sacred Games!
Being one of the best rappers in India, Divine has contributed to several films. He made his Bollywood debut with the song ‘Paintra’ from the film Mukkabaaz.
Also, T-series signed him to work on the soundtrack of blockbuster Netflix Web series, Sacred Games.
He also contributed to the music album of the films ‘Gully Boy’ and ‘Blackmail.’
10) Divine faced Copywrite Claims!
Divine faced Copywrite strikes from the famous music company, Zee Music Company, on youtube after the release of track Teesri Manzil. The rapper uploaded the song again with changed lyrics.
