Krishna | |
|---|---|
 Krishna atSXSW Sydney, October 2024. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Krishna Kaul |
| Also known as | KR$NA, Krsna, YoungProzpekt, Prozpekt |
| Born | Delhi, India |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present[1] |
| Labels | Universal,Zee, Kalamkaar |
Krishna Kaul, knownmononymously asKrishna, stylised now asKR$NA, (previously asKrsna; known formerly asYoungProzpekt) is an Indian rapper.[2][3] He was one of the earliest rappers to emerge in theIndian hip hop scene in the mid-2000s under the stage nameProzpekt. He is widely acknowledged within theDesi hip-hop community for pioneering a lyrical revolution in the genre, infusing a new wave of poetic depth and lyrical complexity into hip-hop's narrative.[4] He was also briefly featured in the 2019Bollywood filmGully Boy as himself.[5] He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian rappers of all time.
Krishna Kaul was born into aKashmiri Pandit family inDelhi. He spent a part of his childhood inSouth London, where he was raised and schooled for a few years.Kaul started rapping at the age of fourteen in an effort to blend in with other children at his school inLondon.[6] He did graduation fromHansraj College.[7]
Krishna's first shot of success came with the release of the music video for "Kaisa Mera Desh" in 2010,[8][9] becoming the first Indian hip hop song onYouTube and earning a number 2 ranking as one of the most watched music videos in India overnight following its release.[10] He also released a song titled "Vijay" in collaboration with international NGOSave The Children in 2013.[11]
After sporadic underground releases, Kaul switched from Prozpekt to the stage name KRSNA after signing a record deal withUniversal Music in 2013.[12] In May 2014, he released his debut albumSellout, an all-English effort on Universal Music with its lead single "Last Night" peaking at number 5 on theVh1 Music Charts in India.[13] Kaul became the first hip-hop artist in India to do a five-city album tour with a band.[3][2] Following this, the music video for the title song "Sellout" was released but failed to make a large impact due to lacklustre marketing and shrinking label budgets.[14][15]
After a two-year hiatus, Kaul made his return in 2016 with his Hindi release "Vyanjan".[16][17] Following the success of the song, he signed to the artist management agency DNH Artists (now Kalamkaar) in 2017 and became a partner in 2018, with the likes of Ankit Khanna andRaftaar.
In 2020, Kaul accused theIPL andJio Hotstar of permitting the plagiarism of his 2017 song "Dekh Kaun Aaya Wapas" when creating the 2020 IPL anthem "Ayenge Hum Wapas", an allegation which was dismissed by composer Pranav Ajayrao Malpe. Kaul responded by stating that "his team[...], will take the legal route and approach Jio Hotatar, which commissioned the song".[18][19]
In the month of January 2021, Kaul was featured on American rapper Hi-Rez's song "Crossroads" along withRoyce da 5'9".[20] Later in July, another collaboration with Hi-Rez was released, titled "Playground" which also featured formerSlaughterhouse member,KXNG Crooked. His collaboration in Hi-Rez's song "Overdrive", was released in November 2021, featuring A-F-R-O,Joell Ortiz,Bizzy Bone,Tech N9ne andTwista. The music videos were released on Hi-Rez'sYouTube channel.[21] In 2022, he featured onKaran Aujla's song "Ykwim".
Kaul withBrodha V won theRadio City Freedom Awards 2023 on 31 March 2023, for the Best Indie Collaboration. The two won the Freedom Awards 7 for the song "Forever" which was released in September 2022.[22]
In 2025, Kaul along with 3 other rappers,Jay Park,MaSiWei, andVannda, featured on Japanese hip-hop artistAwich's track "Asian State of Mind", which released on February 28, accompanied by a music video, which was shot in each of the home countries of the featured rappers.[23]
| Year | Album | Tracks | Artist(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sellout | The Glorious First Step | KR$NA | Bradley Dhawan |
| Faded | KR$NA, Cory Jones | Tony Fadd | ||
| Sellout | KR$NA | |||
| Getting Away | Breathtaking Beats | |||
| Last Night | Metrognome | |||
| Erryday | KR$NA, Sonny Brown | Tony Fadd | ||
| Tripping | KR$NA | |||
| Last Song | Bradley Dhawan | |||
| 2021 | Still Here | Still Here (Intro) | KR$NA | SAFIN |
| What's My Name | Raftaar | |||
| Roll Up | KR$NA,Badshah | Josh Petruccio | ||
| Villain | KR$NA, Karma,Ikka | Depo | ||
| Dream | KR$NA | Deep Kalsi | ||
| Fall Off (Interlude) | Kapellmaister | |||
| Saza-E-Maut | KR$NA,Raftaar | Rill Beats, Young Grape Beatz | ||
| Na Hai Time | KR$NA | J Caspersen | ||
| Living Legend | KR$NA,Rashmeet Kaur | Didker |
| Year | EP | Tracks | Artist(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Time Will Tell | Kaha Tak | KR$NA | Jokhay, Umair |
| NGL | KR$NA,Talhah Yunus | Umair, Rovalio | ||
| Been A While | KR$NA,Talha Anjum | Umair | ||
| 2023 | FAR FROM OVER | Still Standing | KR$NA | Enigma Beats |
| Prarthana | Bharg, Deep Kalsi, Umair | |||
| Wanna Know | Sylvester | |||
| Hola Amigo | KR$NA,Seedhe Maut | Umair | ||
| Some Of Us | KR$NA,AR Paisley | JPBEATZ | ||
| 2024 | For The Day One$ | Shut Up | KR$NA | Subspace |
| What's Up | KR$NA,Lisa Mishra | Riz Shain | ||
| Stay Away | KR$NA, Bharg | Bharg | ||
| Role Model | KR$NA,Faris Shafi, Karma | Deep Kalsi |
Krishna Kaul, known by his stage name Kr$na, is one of the OGs of the Indian rap scene. Having entered the industry during the mid-2000s, he acknowledges the challenges Indian rappers faced due to the dominance of Bollywood music.
