Rap and hip-hop at new music festival

Come April, the NSIC grounds in Okhla here will turn into a music wonderland with a new festival.

The first edition of Bira 91 April Fools' Fest will bring together a bunch of award-winning rap and alternative music artistes from across the globe and across genres.

Headliners include Mumbai-based rapper and hip-hop artist Divine of 'Gully' fame, and and Grammy nominated Indian-American songwriter, rapper and recording artist Raja Kumari.

Kumari, who has carved a niche for herself in the music industry by penning hits for pop's biggest players like Iggy Azalea, Gwen Stefan and Fifth Harmony, has also collaborated with bigwigs like Timbaland, AR Rahman, Tricky Stewart, Fall Out Boy.

The two-day festival will feature an eminent programming line-up including the likes of LushLife, an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia; PrabhDeep a 23-year-old rapper who has taken the Indian hip-hop scene by storm; DJ Ishani, the first lady of Indian Hip-Hop.

MadStarBase, an international music collective representing USA, UK, India, and Jamaica; DJ Uri, a product of the 80's Breakdance, Hip Hop & Acid House era; DJ MoCity, a music entrepreneur, and Anik Khan, a Bangladeshi-American rapper, will also be part of the festival.

"It is a festival that brings together fun, festivities and a host of immersive performing arts -- highly visual and extremely experiential, with an urban contemporary vibe," organisers said.

The Comedy Arena will present laugh-a-minute names like Sumukhi Suresh, Anu Menon, Neeti Palta, Aditi Mittal, Aadar Malik, Sahil Shah, and Atul Kharti.

The festival will also have on offer gastronomic delights at The F&B Zone will feature a curated spicy food menu, besides a range of pop-ups including Eggjactly, The Grumpy Old Man, Amma Haus, Asian Haus, Fat Lulus, Big Fat Sandwiches, Keventers, Imagine, Sugarthreads, Minus 30, and All Things Chocolate.

The festival will be held on March 31 and April 1.