Cartel Madras

The idea of Cartel Madras came to sisters Priya »Contra« and Bhagya »Eboshi« Ramesh in the mosh pit at a Princess Nokia concert. And just like the New Yorker, they possess two qualities that make their project an exceptional phenomenon in the rap game: a double dose of humour and three times the determination not to leave the status quo unquestioned. With their mixtape »Project Goonda Part 1: Trapistan« and their debut EP for Sub Pop »Age of the Goonda,« they combined trap sounds with classic hip-hop grooves and something or other from Indian classical music. Above all, though, they displayed attitude, aggression and a sense of exalted absurdity, giving their lyrics – written from the perspective of two queer, Indian-Canadian women of colour – all the more punch. If their contribution to Pop-Kultur doesn’t lead to the formation of at least a dozen international rap crews, well, we’re not sure what else to do.

This project is part of the culture program related to Canada’s Guest of Honour presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020/2021 and is supported by FACTOR Canada and the Government of Canada.