Prabh Deep in a still from ‘Khalbali Records.’ Photo: JioCinema
September has marked two important milestones for artist Prabh Deep – he released a power-packed mixtape called DSP that proved to desi hip-hop he’s very much a rapper and also made his acting debut in the JioCinema series Khalbali Records.
In the latter, he plays an artist named Mauj, whose life and death drives a strong-headed music producer (portrayed by Skand Sanjeev Thakur) to rebel against his father’s (starring Ram Kapoor) long-established record label business. Khalbali Records is directed by Devanshu Singh and even includes roles featuring Indian rappers like Epr Iyer, Yungsta, Agsy and Ahmer, among others.
For Prabh Deep, it was a chance to continue his love for the camera, whether in front of it or behind it. “I think I’ve been manifesting it [acting] for a while and it finally came through,” he says. Prabh says the director Singh was inspired by his 2021 album Tabia while developing the series.
The soundtrack for Khalbali Records gave Prabh another chance to work with singer-composer Amit Trivedi, after originally teaming up for the track “Sherni” from 2018 movie Manmarziyaan. For the new series soundtrack, Prabh leads songs like “Tham Ja” and “Majbur Mazdur,” plus sharing space with Agsy, DeeKing and Smoke on “Cypher I.” Prabh says, “I learned from him [Trivedi] and the full sessions were just the director [Singh], Amit and me bouncing off of each other’s energy and all of us creating and them giving me space to do what I do best.” Although Trivedi didn’t “interfere” in Prabh’s process, the Punjabi artists admits he “probably did more [interference] than” Trivedi. “I kept going at it and telling him to let me put more work into it and write more,” Prabh adds.
Ask Prabh about acting and playing a character like Mauj and he says the series – shot in 2022 – mirrors “very similar stuff” that happened to the artist in real life and what “I’m going through right.” He doesn’t get into details but agrees that the show’s premise of “label drama” has been part of his life. He says, “I want artists to see this character Mauj and realize that when you pick wrong people around you, and you take decisions which are rushed, your career will be ended, or your life will be ended.” The show and his life, he says, hold up a light to the “fuck-ups that hamper your artistry.” This, he says, is the “main takeaway” for him and what he’d want aspiring artists to see in Khalbali Records.
In the interest of making it more accessible to wider audiences, Khalbali Records is not too focused on the “backend” of how labels run. “It will bore the audience, it bores me also,” Prabh says with a laugh. But he says the series walks a balance between “giving people drama and also making a non-artist audience aware of how much work it is to be an artist.” He adds, “It’s not just flashy all the time. A lot goes [on] behind the scenes, like brushing up your skills and creating music or whatever art you’re doing, it’s a lot of work.”
Overall, he says Khalbali Records gives viewers a look into how “unpredictable” the music industry is, specifically in making stars or shunting out others. “People who may have 9 to 5 jobs can look at this and see how artists really don’t have job security like they do. Sure, your company could close, but you can always look for a job elsewhere. But with artists, if your career is gone, it’s gone. It’s very hard to revive it. Very few people come back from the depths and I’m lucky to be one of them,” he adds.
After making his acting debut in Khalbali Records, Prabh is open to more roles. He says he was drawn to this project due to his connection with Singh and the script. “I feel like if I can do justice to the role, I’ll definitely do it. I’m not a full-time actor, I’m a musician first. So I won’t come in the way of somebody else’s job. If I see that somebody else can fit perfectly into a role, I’ll give it to them,” the artist says.
With DSP and Khalbali Records, it’s heartening to hear Prabh say he’s “bouncing back” after a couple of “crazy years of up and down” and “figuring my shit out.” He says about DSP, “I just went into the studio with beast mode on. There are a lot of collaborators who came on board. It feels like the whole community is supporting me right now.” The nine-track album brings in everyone from Pakistani hip-hop veteran Faris Shafi and Punjab’s GD 47 to Bangkok-based American hip-hop artist Big Calo to Ahmedabad rapper Dhanji and more.
There are plans to do three shows in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to promote DSP in the coming months. While Prabh’s heart is still set on doing big stadium shows, this project – his first mixtape, one that’s not driven by any concept like his previous albums – is all about “throwing parties.” He says, “I want to go perform for 60 minutes to 90 minutes, just like how I used to do it back in the days when I was just starting out and trying to get the audience engaged. I’m coming out as an MC after a while. It’s gonna be a kickass party.”
