Since his debut in 2019, genre-bending Indian rapper Hanumankind has been making big steps. When his hit single "Big Dawgs" gained global virality in 2024, a Rolling Loud Thailand performance shortly followed where he also joined A$AP Rocky onstage for his headline act and they released a "Big Dawgs" remix later that year. In 2025, he debuted at Coachella, collaborated with Fred Again, and kicked off a global tour.

What draws you to Hanumankind’s addictive sound and powerful stage presence goes beyond hip hop as we know it. His fearlessness in creation and experimentation offers immediate gratification for the listener. Yet still he maintains humility, openness, and deep gratitude for his peers and fans.

“If people even give me a minute of their day, I have to make sure what I gave them in that time is worthy.”

After an ACL injury delayed the OTW Tour's North American leg, Hanumankind came back in 2026, and is now kicking off his Asia and Australia stops, starting in Hong Kong on May 9, 2026, then hitting Malaysia, Singapore, and 3 cities in Australia.

The Beat Asia caught up with the hip hop star ahead of his Hong Kong stop, discussing his epic career, no boundaries creative process, staying true to yourself and your art, how his fans are the fuel for his creative flame, and what’s next for the rapper.

Hi Hanumankind! Congrats on closing the North America leg of your world tour! How are you feeling coming out of it?

It felt really good. I had to cancel [the shows] the first time because I had torn my ACL completely. With that break in between, I wondered how it was going to be, especially when your body's not feeling good. But to actually go and do it and feel it, see the people in person, it was all the recovery I needed. They know how to turn up in North America; it’s beautiful.

Kicking off your Asia and Australia tour on Saturday in Hong Kong, what are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to everything because this is my first time seeing a lot of these cities and being in these countries. I'm curious to see how it feels in person because each country, each city has its own vibe, and people have their own way of receiving music and receiving people, and giving you energy when you're performing, so I'm super excited to see and feel it all.

Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to enjoying during your stay in Hong Kong?

The Chinese food that we have in India or anywhere around the world, it’s good and the standard is incredible because it's one of my favorite cuisines, but it's better at the source, you know? [My friend has recommended] roast goose. The street food is also something I really want to go test and see, because that's a real testament to the cuisine.

From your debut in 2019 to ‘Big Dawgs’ virality in 2024, your later performance in Rolling Loud Thailand — performing and then collaborating with A$AP Rocky — then Coachella the following year, then your world tour, your rise has been steep. Reflecting on your artistic journey and back to when you first debuted, did you set any expectations for yourself starting out?

Honestly, we got into it with no plan whatsoever, but as things have changed in my life and the world has opened up, all I want to do is make sure that I get to work with people who inspire me and that I evolve as much as I can as a person.

That taps into me making the coolest kind of art that I can, testing out different sounds, different styles, and different cultures in my music, which is really important as a reflection of the person that I am.

One of the main things that I've set is to not have any limitations in what I do, not having any boundaries, and if I keep that as a foundation, everything else unfolds.

How would your younger self feel about these milestones?

My younger self would be too busy doing dumb shit. When you see the milestones, he'd be like, 'This is dope. This is cool.' But obviously, he would be asking me to push as hard as I can now that I'm here and strive for greatness.

We covered Rolling Loud Thailand 2024 and saw you live. You have such an electric stage presence and command of the crowd, how does your engagement with your fanbase ignite your music and art?

I started making art just because it was important for me to be able to pour myself into something that I felt gave me purpose. But when you see how people reflect on it and react to it, it just adds fuel to this flame that was already there.

How I perform is a direct reflection of the people who are in front of me. I truly enjoy being able to create and make things that challenge me, but when you see how people receive it, and in ways believe it, it just makes you want to evolve and give them something that's worthy of putting their time and love into it. I'm never going to take that for granted.

If people even give me a minute of their day, I have to make sure what I give them in that time is worthy, and they can go back with something that hopefully helps them in their life.

Can you share more about the inspiration behind your music? You incorporate a lot of Indian and cultural elements in your work that define your unique sound but also pay homage to your roots. What’s your creative process like?

Everything I make is a reflection of life.

All I do is try and tap into what truly motivates me, inspires me to talk or look into something more. I stay curious and make sure that if something brings out a certain emotion in me or makes me want to go and find out more about it, I make sure I do it.

I look into things that inspire me and listen to a whole lot of music from different sides of the world. I travel a lot. I keep my eyes open. I try to absorb as much as I can, and then the music is a byproduct of that, which is a blessing.

What message do you hope to convey through your music?

The message that I'm trying to say is if I can do it, anyone can do it. No one thought that we'd be able to make the kind of sounds we do or have the impact that we have.

Although I know that I have my own style, my own space, and what I do, it comes from a person just like yourself, and that's the main thing.

What I feel, I know other people feel. What I go through, I'm sure other people do too. If I do dumb shit, I know people are doing that as well, but if I do good into the world as well, I can hope, and I know, that there are people out there that can do the same.

Don’t let people define who you are and what you do; you do that.

Right now, authenticity is often what draws fans to artists who are grounded in their heritage. Why do you think staying connected to your roots resonates so strongly today?

I do this because it's what comes naturally to me. I feel driven to tap into my roots and the elements that make me. Whoever’s making music anywhere around the world, do what feels good, what feels right, because if you try and do something that is trending right now, that is working for somebody else, and you apply that purely from that space, people know, and that’s when it's disingenuous.

If it's not something that truly comes from you, people are going to know, and you yourself are going to know, you’ve got to live with that.

Tap into your truth, not someone else's truth. I think that's really going to cultivate a good space of art and creation, and that's the only way that people can give true value.

I just feel like the only way that you can find belonging and provide for the rest of the world is just by being truly, authentically honest with yourself.

Can you share more about the concept behind ‘Taste of Thunder’?

That was a collaboration we did, with the brand Thumbs Up, they reached out. This is a drink that all of us grew up drinking on this side of the world, that a lot of us associate with India and childhood. So, we made the song that tied into this drink that we grew up with and we had fun while we were doing it.

What is your advice for young, up-and-coming, and aspiring artists looking to make their mark in the world?

There's no blueprint, there's no guidelines, in your path, so keep that as a foundation. A lot of people think [life] needs to go this way, it should be like this, but it doesn't need to be shit, man. You just need to be you. And the sooner you recognize that, the better, and the better things tend to turn out for you.

I’d also say travel, get out of the bubble that you’re stuck in. I say that with the luxury to be able to travel, but spend the time, even if it means to step out of your neighborhood, out of your city. Just go and see things. Get away from screens, go outside, and see the hills and the greens.

What do you make of the hip hop scene in Asia and are there any emerging artists from the region that have caught your attention?

Asia has a lot of emerging talent. It’s always been a hub for art and culture, and the ripple effect you see all around the world.

In terms of the artists that are out there, you some very cool artists. Back in the day, there was the Higher Brothers I was a big fan of. I met Jackson Wang the other day. On top of that, we’ve travelled to Korea and seen the thriving music scene out there. Even in India, there's a lot of folk that have been making music.

There was a period that I was really paying attention to some of the art that was out there, Keith Ape, and there's just so much vibrancy.

I'm always keeping my eye out and paying attention, and hopefully I can make music with some of these people that I've been tapping in with and listening to for a while.

What’s next for you, can we look forward to any new collabs or releases?

I recently did a collaboration with Papa Roach, which is something that I'm looking forward to.

So it's not just limited to the rap and hip hop space, I really want to expand my horizons, so anything that inspires me, I’ll try it out.

I'm working on a lot of music, I have been inspired by the past year, so I just want to apply that, put together a project, and release this energy that I've been tapping into, and do some very cool collaborations. Like Papa Roach, there's other people that I've been working with to bring it all to life and not just limit it to one style, sound, or language.

Stay updated with Hanumankind on Instagram and stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube.

For tour details, visit Collective Minds Asia on Instagram and Clockenflap on Facebook and Instagram.