Rapping and beatboxing champs Adil and Aman tell us about their protest poetry, why they rap for a cause

When twin rappers Mohiuddin Ahmad AKA Adil and Moinuddin Ahmad AKA Aman performed at Influencercon, a convention of influencers, that was held in Hyderabad last November, the audience was blown away. Already a sensation in New Delhi, where they are based out of, these 20-year-olds are slowly spreading their rap footprint far and wide. Adil and Aman even participated in MTV Hustle 2019, the rap reality show, and when rapper Raftaar asked them to perform separately, they outright refused. That's the bond they share, a bond strengthened by adversities like the 2020 Delhi riots and the 2019 Jamia Millia Islamia attack.

Though they were born in New Delhi, they moved to Riyadh for a while and returned to India only in 2018. "We came back for higher education but the real reason was to explore the beatboxing and rapping scene in the city," says a jovial Aman. They discovered their innate talent back in class VII, when they stumbled upon a rap video and were more than willing to give it a shot after honing their talent by watching and following more rappers. Currently pursuing a degree in Pharmacy from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, the twins with their strong Islamic roots are aware that their preferred form of music is considered haram (forbidden) in their religion and they know that what they are doing is 'wrong'. "I don't even justify it anymore. But we make sure that while we entertain, we leave listeners with a message and stay far away from rapping about money, alcohol, girls and other such ‘popular’ themes," explains Aman.

The twins' house is a stone's throw away from Jamia, where their father has worked for years. So, when the 2019 Jamia Millia Islamia attack happened, they released Jamia, an anthem that speaks of the horrors students had to endure. For the recent Delhi riots, they helped scholar and activist Wali Rahmani put out a video. "All we want to say is that if the government is not doing anything wrong, they are not doing anything right either," avers Aman. They received a lot of hate and praise in equal measure, but they promise to keep doing what comes naturally to them. "What do we have? We have our music and that's what we will use to try to make a difference," concludes Aman.

For more on them, check out instagram.com/twinztagram_/?igshid=11xogyx2rbh23