EPR Iyer

Some Lesser Known Facts About EPR Iyer

• EPR, aka Emcee Poet Rapper, is an Indian rapper, poet, hip-hop artist, singer, and songwriter who is known for his unique rap style. He has gained recognition for addressing socio-political issues like corruption, communalism, poverty, and unemployment through his rap.

• He belongs to a Tamil family in Kolkata.

• EPR got into rap during his school days. He was inspired by listening to English rock music on channels like MTV, Channel [V], and VH1.

• According to him, he began writing songs in 2002.

• While he was studying at the A. K. Ghosh Memorial in Kolkata, he formed a band named ‘Miasma’ with his friends to compete in an event organised by The Telegraph in Schools (TTIS), a student-run newspaper in East India, at Swabhumi in Kolkata. The band remained active majorly from 2005 to 2007 during which it competed in various western-band competitions at inter-school festivals.

  

• In 2009, EPR formed a rap-metal band called ‘!Banned’ in Kolkata, where he was the vocalist, Kuntal De played rhythm guitar, Roheet Mukherjee played bass guitar, and Anup Hela played drums. The band, which was active from January 2009 to March 2010, participated in various college cultural festivals and won competitions such as ‘Eclecia 2009’ at the Heritage Institute of Technology, ‘AGON 2009’ at the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, ‘Srijan 2010’ at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, and ‘Sanskriti 2010’ at the Jadavpur University.

• In 2010, !Banned won the ‘Times of Youth Challenge,’ organised by The Times of India. In April 2010, the bass guitarist Roheet Mukherjee decided to join another band named ‘Five Little Indians,’ which led to the conclusion of !Banned.

• EPR started a band called Underground Authority with his friends Adil Rashid, Sourish Kumar, and Soumyadeep Bhattacharya in 2010. In the same year, they participated in the reality show ‘India’s Got Talent’ and reached the finals. The band soon gained fame and started performing at colleges in various cities across India. After nearly 12 years and about 700 gigs, EPR left the band in April 2023 as he decided to go further as a solo rapper. He performed with the Underground Authority for the last time on 13 May 2023.

  

• In 2013, EPR was diagnosed with a condition named cholesteatoma, where abnormal skin cells collect deep inside the ear, causing hearing impairment. According to EPR, doctors initially suggested that he might never perform again; however, after three months of recovery from surgery, he participated in the Hornbill International Rock Contest in Kohima, Nagaland, with his band Underground Authority in December 2013. The band not only emerged as the winner but also received awards for Best Band, Best Vocalist, Best Bassist, Best Drummer, and Best Guitarist runner-up at the event.

  

• On 13 March 2018, EPR and a producer named GJ Storm (Kuntal De) teamed up to establish Adiacot, a hip-hop group officially known as Adiacot Entertainment. This group was created to address social issues and create awareness. According to EPR, he got the idea to form Adiacot when two kids, Sagnik Chowdhury, and Soumyadeep Dasgupta, from Shillong, expressed their desire to create a group under his guidance; they had previously learned rap from EPR. The group later released the first diss track video ‘Gully Mein Apne Kutta Bhi Sher Hai,’ which was shot with the help of videographer Jo (Souvanik Kundu); the track aimed at rappers Divine and Emiway Bantai, and it soon got one million views.

  

• EPR participated in a rap/hip-hop reality show titled ‘MTV Hustle’ in 2019 and emerged as a runner-up. According to him, he was initially offered to host the show: however, he decided to participate as a contestant instead.

  

• EPR debuted as a solo rapper with the album ‘Protest Poetry’ in 2020. He collaborated with other singers and rappers including Nikhita Gandhi, Karma, and Void for the album. The album, consisting of 17 tracks including Srini Bana Epr, Ekla Cholo Re, Kaun Virus?, and Raastafari, earned him the title of ‘Protest Poet.’

  

• EPR appeared as a squad boss in season 2 and season 3 of the show ‘MTV Hustle’ in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

  

• EPR describes himself as a “reporter from the streets” as he communicates societal and national issues through his raps.

• According to him, he mainly focuses on socio-political writing within the rap genre.

• EPR disagrees with the idea that rap in India was introduced by Gully Boys or any other Punjabi singers with the flashy style of wearing oversized clothes and jewellery. In his view, Indian hip-hop has deeper roots, and the first hip-hop culture in India emerged in the Northeast. He talked about this, in an interview, and said,
  

  Contrary to what people think now, Indian rap didn’t start from the gullies. Earlier, you had to wear oversized clothes and jewellery to be considered a true rapper. After Gully Boy, you need to speak in Mumbai street lingo to earn credibility. I don’t subscribe to either. Art is subjective and what I wear on stage doesn’t matter to me, as I live hip hop.”

• In an interview, EPR revealed that he once started engaging in text-based rap battles in the ‘Insignia Rap’ community on Orkut; many individuals engage in text battles with emcees worldwide on the platform.

• According to EPR, he initially had a strained relationship with rappers Divine and Raja Kumari, as well as DJ Nucleya, for whom he once had released diss tracks; however, over time, he formed a good bond with them. EPR talked about this, in an interview, and mentioned that Nucleya approached him after listening to the diss track and expressed interest in collaborating with him.

• In an interview, EPR shared that he studied Urdu for five months to write the song ADR / ABR.

• EPR has a profound love for cats. He often shares their pictures on social media.

  

• He loves travelling and hiking. He frequently posts his travelling pictures on social media.

  

• He is a former member of the theatre company Hypokrites.

• EPR teaches rap in his free time. He once used to conduct rap and poetry classes at an institute called Home Sweet Cruizer Lane (also known as The Haveli) in Kolkata, which later closed down.

• EPR consumes alcohol occasionally. ^[7]EPR Iyer – Facebook

• He often smokes cigarettes.

  

• He is proficient in both English and Japanese languages.