It all started in 2006, when Roll Rida liked a girl in his intermediate class and he was misinformed that she likes rap songs. Soon, he went to the internet cafe, paid Rs 25 for a session, downloaded rap songs into a CD and took at least a week to learn each song to impress her. In the 15 years that have passed, Roll Rida has become a Telugu rapping sensation, with offers from the film industry and is also releasing music independently on YouTube. Roll Rida, known for his entry into Bigg Boss Telugu season 2, is now among a number of successful Telugu rappers in the burgeoning scene, which also includes the likes of Noel Sean, MC Uneek and MC Mike, among others.
Despite lacking any music background, Roll Rida succeeded in making his voice get noticed in Telugu households through his rap songs. Some of the independent rap songs like Patang, Raadhu, Arupu have clocked millions of views on YouTube.
Speaking to The News Minute, Roll Rida said, “Though my rapping started accidentally, it has given me a lot in return. At one point, it even saved me from ragging in college. It has led me to perform stage shows which in turn got me in touch with music producers, and gave me scope for YouTube. This is what ultimately got me into the Bigg Boss show and the film industry as well.”
Rapping also led him to what he calls a “dream come true” moment - singing Oh My God Daddy from Ala Vaikuntapuramu loo (2020), starring his favourite actor, Allu Arjun. “Till that point of time, there was not much scope for rap songs in Tollywood, though independent songs are getting popular on YouTube. But, when the Oh My God Daddy song came, the scenario changed. Now, more music directors are coming up with the idea of having a title song and some others as rap songs.”
Watch Oh My God Daddy song here :
Recently, Roll Rida has worked on two songs for the two Hero and Rowdy Boys, that are slated for Sankranti release on Jan 14, 2022. He is also busy with a few other film songs and ready to release his first animated rap song in Telugu that deals with the bond between a father and daughter duo.
“Though I am getting movie offers, I like working on my independent songs as well, because these songs are what have got me to where I am today. So, I will continue to do independent songs and release them on YouTube,” says Roll Rida. He added that there are about six independent rap songs that have finished shooting and are in the post production.
One of his independent songs, Arupu, that highlights the problems faced by women, has also won the Best Music Video in 2018 from San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival. And has about 14 million views on Youtube as well.
Watch Arupu song here :
Roll Rida says that his career has been pretty smooth so far, though there are some issues in the industry. One of them is that artists can never be sure they will be credited for the song. This has been mentioned earlier by other musicians like Pranavi, who said that the industry is known for misplacing credits when it comes to the singer names.
Roll Rida has also found himself in a tight spot when he found his credits on a film song that he never sang. “Even when we sing a song for the movie, we can never be assured that we are going to get credit for the same, till the time it gets released on YouTube officially. It depends on many factors such as the hero and director liking the song and singer. If not, they sometimes replace the singer without informing and other times, they might give credit to other singers who are popular.”
Now, making their parents' dream come true, Roll Rida has got his own land and is building a house for his family in Hyderabad. He says this has become one of his greatest achievements so far and thanks his music career for the same.