Lollapalooza India 2026: Here's why you should listen to these 5 hip-hop artists

Lollapalooza India returns for its fourth edition in 2026 on January 24 and 25 at the Mahalaxmi RacecourseAs the festival evolves hiphop takes centre stage carrying with it the rhythm rebellion and reinvention that have defined the genre worldwide From trailblazing rap icons to Indiarsquos fastrising wordsmiths the 2026 lineup reflects the pulse of a movement that has travelled from the streets to stadiums and the festival lineupHiphop has always been more than music Itrsquos rhythm rebellion and reinvention a culture that started on the streets and grew into a global movementWhat was once underground in India has become unstoppable From cypher circles tucked away in city corners to the roar of stadiums the scene has grown with urgency and imagination The Gully rap explosion was a spark but today the flame burns brighter carried by a generation of artists and fans alike who are reimagining what hiphop can beThe lineup of the festival produced in India by BookMyShow Live along with global producers Perry Farrell and C3 Presents showcases the richness of hiphop in India not only for artists but listeners and that starts with Cartirsquos Opium For one of the most elusive and eradefining collectives in rap to choose this stage for a rare showcase is nothing short of groundbreaking itrsquos the kind of moment that rewrites what Indian festivals can be And it lands just months after Travis Scottrsquos longawaited debut in India turning momentum into a movementHerersquos how the lineup tells that storyPlayboi CartiCarti is a rapper who feels like an atmosphere The Atlantaborn disruptor turned trap into performance art adlibs as scripture minimalism as maximalism rage distilled into sound His eradefining tracks lsquoMagnoliarsquo lsquoSkyrsquo and lsquoStop Breathingrsquo alongside his latest album Music where all 30 tracks stormed the Billboard Hot 100 cement him as one of hiphoprsquos most radical innovators Known as King Vamp he thrives on the fringes while still shaping the centre bending punk trap cloud rap and experimental electronics into a world of chaos and couture colliding His India debut arrives with his Opium labelmates in tow turning the stage into an untamed universe of rage and reinventionKen CarsonCartirsquos Opium label operates like an ecosystem and Ken Carson is its most explosive branch Once his mentorrsquos proteacutegeacute Carson has grown into a headline force in his own right From the halls of Atlantarsquos underground to the frontlines of raprsquos new wave his projects X and A Great Chaos tore through charts and festivals building a cult that moves like an army His sound is unfiltered rage sharpened into precision a framework for where the next decade of trap may be headedDestroy LonelyWhere others make bangers Destroy Lonely makes worlds His work from No Stylist to If Looks Could Kill orbits around atmosphere as much as lyric becoming a touchstone for a generation that thrives on both mayhem and couture What began as whispers in the underground has become a cult that shadows him city to city word for word Hersquos less performer more architect of mood building a religion of bedlam and high fashion for the internet generationHomixide GangBlood brothers in sound and in spirit Homixide Gang bring the raw grit of Atlantarsquos streets into every verse Their tracks lsquo5unnarsquo and lsquoSnotty Worldrsquo play less like songs and more like detonations Their unrelenting energy and streetbuilt momentum have stormed through stages worldwide leaving carnage in their wake Together they embody the wildcard unpredictability that keeps hiphoprsquos underground alive noisy unpolished uncontainableMXRCIBorn in Mohali raised on FL Studio MXRCI is the producer who has quietly reshaped modern Punjabi music From Karan Aujla to Sidhu Moose Wala his beats became the backbone of an entire scene balancing folk rhythms with stadiumsized bass But his reach extends beyond Punjabi rap with international collabs and Bollywood crossovers MXRCI proves that Indiarsquos regional sounds arenrsquot niche theyrsquore global currentsPhoPho isnrsquot just part of Delhirsquos hiphop movement shersquos redefining what it means From her days as SpitDopersquos first female battler to the nuanced storytelling of lsquoBheetar Baharrsquo and the mainstream glow of lsquoLapatarsquo Pho threads hiphop RampB and soul into fearless explorations of identity and vulnerability Shersquos magnetic on stage uncompromising in voice and a crucial reminder that hiphoprsquos transformation isnrsquot just sonic but also deeply personalThe bigger pictureWith Travis Scott set to bring his stadiumfilling CIRCUS MAXIMUS tour to India and Playboi Carti leading the charge at Lollapalooza India 2026 Indian hiphop fans are in for a treat This isnrsquot just about imported sound With MXRCI and Pho the local scene asserts its place alongside global heavyweights crafting an identity thatrsquos rooted in India but unafraid of the world Hiphop in India is no longer asking for space Itrsquos taking it loud wild and inevitableThe General onsale of tickets for Lollapalooza India 2026 is live on lollaindiacom