For Divine, hip-hop is all about representing community

Mumbai, June 27 (IANS) Rapper Vivian Fernandes, who is known by his stage name Divine, says hip-hop music has always been about representing his true self, his community and his roots.

Memories of his first song are still fresh in the mind of the "Mere gully mein" rapper, whose life served as one of the inspirations for Bollywood hit movie "Gully Boy".

Now a documentary on his life and rise -- "Gully Life: The Story of DIVINE" -- will soon make its way to the small screen. It is produced by Red Bull Media House in association with Supari Studios.

In the documentary, he has explained the reason why he chose Gully Boy as his stage name, read a statement.

"The first song I ever wrote was about my city, the first word I ever wrote was Gully. That verse was very crucial, that verse opened my mind up," Divine said.

"The first song I ever wrote was about my city then I came into my gullies, because hip-hop has always been that; you represent your community, you represent where you come from, you get people together," he added.

The film will premiere on Discovery network on July 1, followed by a digital release on Red Bull TV on July 15 and Divine's YouTube channel on July 17.

Over the course of the 50-minute-long film, viewers will be introduced to some of the most important people in Divine's life -- from his mother to the friends he grew up with and who remain his closest aides.

On the documentary, he said: "I've had an incredible and amazing journey so far, it almost feels like a dream. To be able to do what I love and for it to be appreciated by others, I feel blessed.

"Hip-hop really did save my life. Shooting this documentary was quite a journey -- to go back tracing all the steps in my life was definitely a surreal experience."