Sri Vijaya Puram: By day, he counts cash at a local bank. By night, he spits verses that echo from island jetties to national rap stages. K. Abilash Rao, better known as ABI lASH, has become one of the few artists to carry the Andamans into India’s hip-hop conversation, balancing the ordinary with the audacious.
His journey has been anything but typical. In an archipelago better known for beaches than beats, the odds were stacked against him: no mentors, no studios, and little exposure. But Abilash insists that it was this very silence that forged his sound. “I wasn’t inspired by cyphers or city lights. I was shaped by the silence. That silence pushed me to speak,” he told The Wave Andaman.
His introduction to rap began like many teenagers in India: Eminem’s verses, Yo Yo Honey Singh’s hooks. But it was DIVINE’s Yeh Mera Bombay that struck a chord. “It showed me music could represent a place, carry its story. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do,” he recalls. In 2018, he released his first track KAALPANIK with two friends. The song may not survive online, but the buzz it created among young listeners in Sri Vijaya Puram marked the start of a local hip-hop chapter. “It felt like we had started something no one here had done before, real rap, from the islands,” he says.
Breaking through the odds
Music from the Andamans rarely finds national attention. With limited recording facilities, scarce performance opportunities, and little industry presence, many artists abandon the pursuit. Abilash chose a different route, travelling to Chennai for cyphers, performing in Mumbai, and steadily releasing his own work online.
His music is Hindi rap layered over trap and hardcore beats, always grounded in lived experience. PRE 42 and SWAGAT HAI narrate the changing character of the islands, while tracks such as SAFEENA and 100 SAMASYA reflect his personal struggles. In Pre 42, he raps: “Andaman ab vo raha ni, jungalo mein so raha ni.”
Persistence paid off. In 2021, ABI lASH reached the Top 4 of Breezer Vivid Shuffle Season 5, performing on Dino James’ team. In 2024, he advanced to the Top 30 on MTV Hustle 4, giving the islands rare visibility on a national hip-hop platform. For his family, it was a turning point. “I never asked them for help, but when they saw me there, they understood I was doing something serious,” he says.
The Island has entered the chat
Even with national exposure, Abilash’s life remains grounded. He works full-time at a local bank, a reality he accepts with humour. “It’s always a balance between buying beats and buying ration,” he jokes.
Today, his catalogue includes more than 15 singles, two EPs, and multiple collaborations. His latest project, TERA BHAI LOCAL, is pitched as both declaration and invitation. “The island has entered the chat,” he says proudly. Tracks like SWAGAT HAI bring his Andaman lifestyle into the mix, while YOUNG WILD BROWN with Delhi rapper AGH signals his intent to position island rap in the larger Indian hip-hop culture. A video for 4×4 is expected soon.
For ABI lASH the mission is clear: to carry the Andamans into a space where they have rarely been represented. “The dream isn’t just mine,” he says. “It’s for every artist from the islands who felt too far away to be heard.”
