MAM
Launching #HaqSeHipHop, an original content and concert series by Rolling Stone India and Qyuki
MUMBAI: With an aim to chronicle and promote India’s flourishing hip-hop scene, leading music magazine Rolling Stone India and digital media firm Qyuki have joined hands to launch #HaqSeHipHop, a first-of-its-kind multi-platform property.
#HaqSeHipHop will celebrate the success stories of India’s top hip-hop artists, visionaries and emerging talent by means of an audio and video podcast, an inspirational video series, masterclasses and pan-India concert series.
The featured artists in #HaqSeHipHop include breakout rappers Naezy and Prabh Deep, producer Sez, hip-hop collectives Swadesi, Dopeadelicz, Khasi Bloodz and more.
WATCH THE PROMO for #HaqSeHipHop: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3aTvXxAer5/?igshid=18joht5v7jxu
Rolling Stone India and Qyuki have been early supporters and stakeholders in India’s hip-hop ecosystem from its fledgling days, and with #HaqSeHipHop, both endeavor to give the diverse hip-hop voices in India a definitive mouthpiece they can claim as their own.
Long before hip-hop attracted mainstream attention, Rolling Stone India consistently employed its editorial platform to promote talent and report every development in the scene — the magazine was the first to famously feature emerging hip-hop talent on its cover in 2016, following it up with another cover in 2019.
Says Nirmika Singh, Executive Editor, Rolling Stone India, “The #HaqSeHipHop property is our way of honoring the hard work, hustle and hope in hip-hop. We are at the cusp of a music revolution in India and its biggest impact is currently being witnessed in hip-hop. As curators of pop culture, we want to tell as many compelling stories as possible – via podcasts, gigs and masterclasses.”
As India’s premier digital media enterprise, Qyuki’s contribution in nurturing budding hip-hop talent is unparalleled. Together with Universal Music, it is the co-founder of The Dharavi Dream Project(TDDP), a non-profit committed to the promotion of music and arts, which runs the After-School of Hip-Hop, Asia’s largest hip-hop institution where under-resourced artists are equipped with knowledge and skills of rap, bboying, beatboxing, DJing and graffiti.
Samir Bangara, Co-Founder & MD, Qyuki, says, “Since the birth of hip-hop in the late Seventies, its form and meaning have always been challenged and redefined by artists. To preserve the true spirit of expression as a birthright, we conceived ‘Haq Se’ (by right) which specifically promotes independent hip-hop talent. Our investment in promoting local hip-hop started with The Dharavi Dream Project six years ago along with Universal Music Group and with #HaqSeHipHop, we want to widen the platform and nurture the incredible diversity in the genre from across the country.”
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
