"I wanted to capture Mumbai’s chaos"
Mumbai rap icon DIVINE has dropped his latest single, ‘Aag’, via Gully Gang Records and Universal Music.
The blistering track signals a bold new chapter in his career, ending a six-month break from releases.
Written by DIVINE and co-composed with Abhijay Sharma, with additional production from Karan Kanchan, ‘Aag’ merges industrial beats with trap grooves and cinematic orchestration.
The track features his gravelly delivery, layered over bass-heavy production and soaring synths, reaffirming his status as a defining voice in Indian hip-hop.
Explaining his vision, DIVINE said:
“‘Aag’ isn’t just a song; it’s fire in every sense. I wanted to capture Mumbai’s chaos and its capacity to rise again, to make something unpredictable, unstoppable.”
The accompanying music video pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling in Indian music.
Shot in a single day, it blends real-life Mumbai with surreal digital landscapes, featuring AI-generated floating lava sharks and rivers of light.
Co-directed by ad filmmaker John Fredrick Peter Mayne and Joel D’Souza (JD), the narrative follows a female protagonist who transforms from calm daylight to a fiery nocturnal force, embodying the city’s resilience.
Mayne highlighted the approach: “We aimed to present Mumbai as a living, breathing character.
“The AI elements aren’t gimmicks; they’re metaphors for the city’s fierce yet fragile spirit.
“‘Aag’ is poised to set a new standard as the finest video to emerge from Indian hip-hop, heralding a transformative era in visual storytelling within the genre.
“DIVINE’s unmatched artistic expression complemented with the most sophisticated use of artificial intelligence seen in an Indian music video to date, will solidify the music video’s place in the evolution of Indian music and visual art, poised to inspire future generations of artists and creators.”
The use of neural-style transfer, volumetric rendering, and bespoke AI algorithms makes the video a landmark for Indian music.
By weaving authentic imagery with advanced digital effects, DIVINE captures the duality of Mumbai: chaotic yet unyielding.
The rapper even drew inspiration from the Borivali tribal community, reflecting the city’s quiet strength and resilience.
With ‘Aag’, DIVINE reaffirms his role at the forefront of Indian hip-hop, merging sound, story, and cutting-edge visuals into a single statement: Mumbai is always burning, always rising.
Watch ‘Aag’
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