Marathi rap's breakout year: RAP 91 Marathi grows 155% as Badshah teams with folk singer Nagesh Morwekar on Chimna

Marathi hip-hop is having its biggest year yet, and the numbers now prove it. The number that stands out Ahead of tonight's RAP91 LIVE in Mumbai, Spotify revealed that RAP 91 Marathi, its playlist for Marathi rap, grew more than 155% in the past year. That is the fastest growth of any language edition of RAP 91, ahead of Bhojpuri (more than 52%) and Haryanvi (more than 23%). See the full RAP91 LIVE lineup at https://mediamarvels.in/news/spotify-rap91-live-2026-mumbai-lineup-regional-rappers. The mainstream notices: Badshah's Chimna On Monday, 31 August 2026, Badshah released Chimna, his first Marathi song. It pairs his rap verses with a traditional rural hook, sung with Divya Kumar and Marathi folk performer Nagesh Morwekar. Badshah dedicated the song to his Maharashtrian fans and called it a celebration of regional music. The interesting part is not just that a national star made a Marathi track. It is that he built it around a folk voice. Nagesh Morwekar's presence on the song puts a traditional Marathi performer in front of an audience that may never have heard him before. The artists who built the wave Big names follow audiences, and Marathi audiences were built by independent artists first: 1. Sanju Rathod, the Jalgaon singer behind Gulabi Sadi and Shaky, made Marathi pop go global. His story is at https://mediamarvels.in/blog/who-is-sanju-rathod-gulabi-sadi-shaky. 2. Taambdi Chaamdi by Shreyas and Kratex went viral worldwide in 2024 and landed on Rap 91 and Hot Hits Marathi. 3. A new generation of Marathi rappers is appearing on national stages like RAP91 LIVE. What it means for Marathi artists When a playlist grows this fast, editors need more songs to feed it. For Marathi rappers and pop artists, that means more chances of being picked up, as long as releases are tagged correctly as Marathi and pitched through Spotify for Artists before release day. Making Marathi music? Put your next release in front of listeners across Maharashtra and beyond. Promote your music on Media Marvels at https://mediamarvels.in/promote.