There is no caste in music: Paul Jacobs and BlaaZe at Conclave South 2018
Then Paul Jacobs and BlaaZe attended the India Today Conclave South 2018 in Vishakhapatnam today, they talked about the role of caste in music and breaking the music divide in the country.
Paul, who is a critically acclaimed folk artist and BlaaZe, a Tamilian rapper talked extensively about the caste divide in music, A R Rahman’s revolutionary role providing a creative space for artists, importance of including folk artists in the industry and also how Bollywood is becoming more welcoming in including ,music from all parts of the country.
On caste divide in music:
BlaaZe said, “Growing up I never saw the divide. It wasn’t until 2003, that people started dividing everything in sections and asking about your religion, whether you are a Christian o ra Muslim. That’s why music became my way of expressing my feelings. I am trying to bring unity just through raps and words, that is what rap is all about.”
On folk artists:
“People recognise only one kind of music in India, which is Bollywood. There are 870 odd dialects in our country which are being ignored, we should preserve it. It is only now in the recent past that people have started looking at folk artists and their music, and not just assuming that they are silly old men,” said Paul.
On AR Rahman:
“The connect with music is happening now. A space should be created to bring a lot more traditional singers on the global stage, and Rahman is the prime reason for creating that space for music. He broke the standard protocol of how music should be done. He encouraged every kind of musician to come forward, this industry is because of Rahman,” said Paul.
