Hanumankind performs at Lollapalooza India 2025 on March 9, 2025 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)
In July last year, Hanumankind released “Big Dawgs” with producer Kalmi and to India’s surprise, it became the biggest English rap song to come out of the country. It catapulted the Bengaluru-based artist to new heights and a year on, he’s been reaping the rewards—from big festival stages like Coachella and Rolling Loud Thailand to Lollapalooza India, collabs with the likes of British producer Fred again.., football clubs, film and T.V. shows, video games such as Fortnite, and more.
To sum it up, if you hadn’t heard of Hanumankind before “Big Dawgs,” you sure as hell were getting introduced to him in one way or another. But for those who did follow the rapper’s journey into the Hindi-dominated hip-hop space in India, it was clear that Hanumankind was still trying to break past a ceiling until he finally did. There were signs, no doubt—every song from “Southside” on his 2019 EP Kalari to “Damnson” to “Go To Sleep” was steadily blowing up, and his game was bolstered by film song appearances like “The Last Dance” for the Malayalam action-comedy Aavesham.
It’s safe to say that Monsoon Season—Hanumankind’s first mixtape and his first ever collection of songs since Surface Level EP in 2020—is the rapper’s most definitive statement, even if it’s within the wide-ranging showcase format of a mixtape and not a concept-driven album. From the visceral percussion of songs like “Run It Up” and the title track “Monsoon Season,” it feels like he and producers Kalmi, Hisab and Parimal Shais have crafted a thematic universe in some senses, but they leave it wide open to interpretation.
There are several anchors across 12 tracks on Monsoon Season—Denzel Curry joins Hanumankind on the warning shot that’s “Reckless.” Curry brings his rage to the swerving track and HMK welcomes listeners with bars like “All my people stay ready,” name-checking Kerala, Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi and Houston. “Big Dawgs” (and its raucous remix with A$AP Rocky) finds a place on Monsoon Season as well. Why? Because it’s likely the starting point of the mixtape project. Kalmi said online that it features tracks at least four years in the making. Along with “Run It Up,” these are still the two most frenzied tracks on Monsoon Season.
The pre-mixtape releases like “Villainous Freestyle” (performed for the On The Radar freestyle series) and “Holiday” (performed for the song series Colors and now padded up resplendently with a horn section by Rhys Sebastian) flex HMK’s affinity for bars and a cadence like few others in the game.
HMK’s go-to beatsmith Parimal Shais steps up with Kalmi for “Goons” that features Houston rapper Maxo Kream. The song got a premiere at Hanumankind’s Coachella set earlier this year and the studio version lives up to the hype, a didgeridoo-echoing stomper that moves like an entry theme where the rappers trade stories from India to Houston.
The soul-baring, introspective side of Hanumankind shines just as bright as his jubilant flex tracks. Where previous releases like “Bottle of Mh” and “Catharsis” with Bengaluru-based R&B artist Rudy Mukta have been revelatory, songs like “Cause” (arguably a career-best) and “Someone Told Me” (with American artist Roisee) dive deeper into the rapper’s psyche. Relentless pursuit is the outlook, but so is fighting for causes and asking questions unflinchingly and standing by those who fight for a cause, all wrapped together in five-minute journeying tracks. It ties back into singles like “Genghis,” which show there’s still a socially-conscious side to the rapper.
Among the real surprises on Monsoon Season is the interlude track “29.11.23,” featuring a loving voice message from HMK’s mother in Malayalam to take care. It’s a rare glimpse into his personal life that he’s not offered in this much detail until now. Then, there’s “Sicko,” a surprise turn into rap-rock and nu-metal influences with ambient blips and synths embellishing his echoing, melodic rap hooks. It’s a seething takedown of systemic injustices including racism, the tortured poet in HMK giving it his all.
If you knew the braggadocious Hanumankind, then there’s plenty on Monsoon Season that leans into his vulnerabilities, without airbrushing anything for an international audience. He screams his purpose on songs like the cinematic, visceral cut “Monsoon Season,” which is no doubt a centerpiece, but also sits down to share his concerns.
If HMK was on the way before, Monsoon Season marks an arrival—one that fans may have been waiting for (and they’re maybe still asking why “Rush Hour” isn’t on streaming) and have finally got a lot to immerse themselves in.
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