Arbaz Ansari, a.k.a AK RAPX, is a fresh face within the Indian hip-hop scene; he creates an indelible impression of the listener through his originality of his raw rapping and his energetic beats. This self-taught artist who was born on January 19 in 2001 in Andheri, Mumbai has made room for himself as a dual-discipline artist; a rapper and a producer of his own tracks. The story of his rising from the Gilbert Hill Road streets to world applause is nothing less of an inspiration.
Having been raised in a tough environment where there are loads of criminals, AK RAPX defines himself as a “hood baby”. No opportunities and a disinterest in going corporate, he looks elsewhere; music. Starting with some popular rappers such as XXXTentacion and 2Pac, he started his hip-hop career in the 10th grade, sharing rap videos on Facebook. A small venture soon grew into something of a phenomenon, as a passionate online community zealous to help make his music known brought his music to audiences in India and far beyond.
AK RAPX’s big break came in 2022 through his one-sided audio-visual One Side Killer. During that year, he dropped a series of songs leading up to the conclusion and the title track of the project on the 27th of February, 2022. The project demonstrated his versatility of combining sharp, unrestrained writing with his own beats (a rare move among Indian hip-hop specialists). His donorist nature, writing songs and accompanying himself with tunes (rasking and beating), has got him a following nowhere around the globe.
Financial hard times did not hinder AK RAPX’s essence to grow up. Unable to pay for proper training, he studied big rappers on YouTube to learn about music production. Whether I did it or not, I did it the way I did,” he shares; touting hard work and divine as his ticket to success. His music is the reflection of rap’s awakening spirit, laced in Indian musical ingredient – sur and taal and the sound that it generates goes to the core of his audience.
AK RAPX was born into a close-knit family with siblings, brother Imran Ansari and sisters Rajiya and Ruksar Ansari to Taslim Ansari and Firdos Ansari the homemaker. He made it to the tenth grade at Bharati Vidya Mandir Hindi Night High School in Mumbai. From a tender age, his love for music and rapping was as clear to all around him that it has shaped his career.
Over and above his music ambitions, AK RAPX has a passionate dream: to perform Hajj pilgrimage with his parents. This ambition is reflective of his grounded personality and his strong family value even with career taking a stratospheric manner. Being the product of the Bombay hip-hop scene, he inherits the raw energy of the Bombay hip-hop scene while he is a trail blazer as such in the genre.
AK RAPX’s progression is an example of power of passion and will power. From the tight alleys of Mumbai to the world platform, he’s showing that skill has no boundaries. With his real sound and relentless nature, AK RAPX isn’t only a rapper—he’s a movement that’s revolutionizing Indian hip-hop for the rest of the world. Watch out for this hornblower as he keeps on going up.
