New Delhi: Kerala-born rapper Sooraj Cherukat, professionally known as Hanumankind, has returned with yet another explosive single titled Run It Up. It is produced by his frequent collaborator Nikhil Kalimireddy, or Kalmi. This is the rapper’s first single after the viral Big Dawgs, which became a global phenomenon last year.
The first visual of the music video, which dropped earlier today, shows the rapper being chased by a swarm of men against the backdrop of a hilly terrain, with the name of the song appearing in red. The song features a mix of visuals from various festivals celebrated across India—the Kathakali dance from Kerala, Punjab’s Gatka, Manipuri martial art Thang-Ta, and a turbaned man riding two horses simultaneously brandishing his sword. The video is directed by Bijoy Shetty, who also directed Big Dawgs.
The song’s production is driven by a traditional Kerala drum called chenda, which intensifies throughout the song alongside the rapper’s percussive raps. Known for its loud and resonant sound, chenda is used in temple rituals, classical dance forms like Kathakali, and cultural festivities. The lyrics and visuals touch on themes of legacy, adversity, and motivation, and sounds like a battle cry. “There ain’t a dude with the drive and the vision like I have unless I go look in the mirror, baby!” raps Hanumankind.
He also shared a clip from the song on his Instagram. “From all of us to all of you. Much love to everyone’s been a part of this journey,” the rapper wrote in the caption, while also crediting the people behind the song’s production.
The reel garnered more than a million views and has people hooked. Actor Prateik Babbar commented, “represent”, adding the emoji of the Indian flag, while singer Karan Aujla reacted with a fire emoticon.
A user wrote, “This is what the world needs to see about India, the land of culture, rituals, festivals and art form.”
Coachella debut
Last year, Hanumankind entered the Top 10 tracks on the Billboard Global 200 Singles with Big Dawgs, which was released in July 2024. The reel of Big Dawgs has over 21.4 million views on Instagram, and the song has more than 319 million streams on Spotify and 173 million views on YouTube.
The Big Dawgs music video showed Hanumankind performing inside a ‘well of death’, a popular stunt in many fairs in India.
The rapper is also set to make his debut at Coachella in April this year. Last year, Diljit Dosanjh became the first Punjabi artist to perform at the music and arts festival.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)