Mumbai: The mega giants of the music industry MTV India and T-Series join forces in first of its kind global deal for a genre-defining rap reality television show, MTV Hustle. Launched in 2019 by MTV India, this clutter-breaking show successfully brought India’s underground rap music to country’s mainstream landscape. A first-of-its-kind initiative by a non-fiction IP in India, this partnership will entail exclusive music rights for worldwide distribution, thereby serving the show’s vision of building industry-ready rap professionals and powering up their professional journeys at an extensive global scale.
As a part of the 3-season deal, all original music created from Seasons 1, 2, and 3 will be distributed globally by T-Series, providing unprecedented reach to the diverse body of work by MTV Hustle. Championing desi hip-hop and rap culture, the country’s leading youth entertainment platform, MTV India created a music revolution which will be further catalyzed globally by the largest music label, T-Series through multi-platform distribution including its YouTube channel that ranks number one with over 238 million subscribers across continents, music channels, audio streaming platforms and many more.
On partnering with T-Series, Viacom18 business head – youth, music, and English entertainment Anshul Ailawadi said, “MTV Hustle 2.0 has pioneered India’s hip-hop revolution. It’s cultural impact in the sub-continent has been multi-fold, making rap the choice of expression for contemporary youth voices. T-series is a pioneer in the world of Indian music. This is a natural partnership that will catapult South Asian hip-hop onto the world stage.”
T-Series managing director & chairman Bhushan Kumar said, “The music that MTV Hustle has created resonates well with the audiences and surely deserves to get its due credit and recognition. Our partnership with the show is in line with our vision to grow the Indian music market and make it available to global audiences. We are excited on this partnership as it is the first of its kind for us too. We look forward to providing existing and new content and talent the right stage and platform while helping them in their musical journey.”
With a focus on talent, performance, meter, technique, musicality, and storytelling, MTV Hustle has launched fresh voices from India’s evolving rap subculture and youth music. As the ultimate rap battleground in India, MTV Hustle has launched successful performers including King, EPR, and more. Performers like MC Square, Srushti Tawde and Paradox have tasted extraordinary success through the launch pad, vaulting from limited local recognition to multi-million fandom on social media within a few months and becoming the talk of the town with brand partnerships, collaborations with eminent industry names and international exposure. Their songs have become an electric mode of self-expression and catharsis for fans, and a significant commentary on socio-political-economic causes, personal experiences and pop-culture. MTV Hustle 2.0 has produced 100+ original compositions in under 10 weeks and has driven inclusivity in music genres including Bollywood, Sufi, Folk and Regional rap. MTV Hustle 2.0 songs have become trendsetting cultural mainstays, having garnered 1.3Bn organic views on Kaanphod Music channel, delivering over 9Bn impressions, with 30+ videos crossing 10Mn views. The partnership with T-Series promises to take desi, multi-cultural hip-hop to a universal audience.
