'Gully Boy' rapper dies at 24; Ranveer, Siddhant mourn loss
Young Indian rapper Dharmesh Parmar, aka MC Tod Fod, has passed away. He was 24. The cause of his death is yet to be confirmed. Associated with Mumbai's multilingual hip-hop group Swadesi, Parmar was part of the superhit 2019 Bollywood film Gully Boy as well. The news of his sudden demise was confirmed by Swadesi's label, Azadi Records, and management company 4/4 Entertainment.
His last rites were conducted on Monday
The official Instagram handles of Swadesi, Azaadi Records, and 4/4 Entertainment posted tributes to the hip-hop artist. Sharing a clip of Tod Fod performing, a post from Swadesi said his "last-ever gig" was at Swadesi Mela, a four-day event that was organized from March 17-20. The post had also urged people to visit the late artist's Mumbai house for his last rites on Monday.
Here's more on Parmar's career
Parmar and his fellow Swadesi artists tagged themselves to be "socially conscious rappers" who hold a mirror to society through verses. Formed in 2013, the also crew includes MC Mawali, 100RBH, Maharya, and RaakshaS. Tod Fod's verses—in songs like The Warli Revolt, Kranti Havi, and Plandemic—spoke about his zeal for nature and human rights. His most recent single—Truth & Bass—was released on March 8.
Tod Fod's 'Gully Boy' connection
When Zoya Akhtar made Gully Boy in 2019, she had called on various desi hip-hop artists and Tod Fod was no different. Tod Fod, a Gujarati, had penned a verse for a song—called India 91—for the Ranveer Singh-led film. Upon receiving the news of his demise, Singh remembered the young soul in an Instagram Story. He added a broken heart emoticon alongside Parmar's picture.
This is what Zoya Akhtar wrote
Singh's co-star Siddhant Chaturvedi—who played MC Sher in the movie—also paid tribute to Tod Fod on Instagram. Meanwhile, Akhtar shared an image of Parmar holding a mic and wrote, "You have gone way too soon. I can only be grateful our paths crossed. Rest in peace Bantai." Condolences poured in from many hip-hop community members. Reportedly, police are investigating the cause of his death.
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