Irhamni ya Allah, for real! These musical maestros are beyond incredible, ruling hearts with their unmatched versatility. With top-tier production and heartfelt lyricism, Akshar and Cursed Kid, working with SBR, have truly poured their hearts and souls into this project.
Introducing Rehem a four track masterpiece that takes you through a whirlwind of emotions in a single listen. The soothing melodies and profound lyrics wash over you like gentle waves, leaving an unforgettable impact.
And of course credits, Credits in DHH? Yes! We can’t forget the backstage wizards!
Big shoutout to Pratyakxh, who sprinkled his sonic magic by mixing the entire project and crafting two bangers. Amit Gurjar, the creative genius behind our artwork turning pixels into pure perfection.
Aflaatune had the privilege of sitting down with these incredible artists to dive deeper into their creative process, inspirations, and the making of Rehem. Here’s the full interview!
Rehem: The Story and BTS!
Q. What does,’Irhamni ya allah’ in your title track ‘Rehem’ means?
(Akshar):
Irhamni ya Allah” is an Arabic phrase meaning O Allah, have mercy on me. The title Rehem carries layered interpretations: one perspective sees the poet calling out to Allah after witnessing an ethereal beauty, fearing he may falter. Another envisions him pleading before a court, seeking mercy after leaving a princess for an ordinary girl he instantly fell for.
Jahan ki mehfilon mei,
Gadi nazrein hain tujhpe,
Tu chhat se phirti hai,
Nigaah-e-yaar chupke.
Jo utre tu zameen pe,
Ude ab rang falak se,
Izhaar ka na qaida,
Khatam saare parat phir.
These lines paint a mesmerising picture of stolen glances, celestial beauty, and the defiance of unwritten rules. Rehem is not just an expression it’s an emotional outpour, woven with poetry and passion.
Q. What was the thought process behind this project?
(Akshar):
To be really honest, we conceived the idea of making an EP after Haule Haule was made.We already had Rehnuma and Rehem dubbed, ready for mix master.While the whole process was through chats and discord sessions, Me and CK wanted this to be as Bollywood as it could get.We also sat down and then worked around the concept for a bit after which we had some changes lyrically and then we had Rehem.
And now, Rehem is ours!
Q. Were there any specific influences that inspired you to create Rehem?
(Akshar):
I have been deeply passionate about pop and Bollywood music since childhood I live, breathe, and dream music. When CK and Ankush unearthed Rehem from a stack of discarded tracks, we saw it as an opportunity to challenge ourselves. We let the music guide us, seamlessly weaving in a touch of Urdu poetry to create something truly special.
And you guys absolutely aced the challenge! Rehem, once a discarded track, has now found its way straight into our hearts.
Q. Were there any challenges you faced during the making of this project?
(Akshar):
I mean there were a lot of constraints we faced during the post processing of this project.We had versions after versions of rakam and nothing was working out. I was hating my vocals on Rehem and Haule Haule and a lot of tension was built around it, which caused a lot of delay with the EP release.But we realised that what we were building was to be written down in history. So after some corrections on rehem we had the project ready.
Q. The protagonist in Rakam seems quite hypocritical—do you think it’s intentional, or is he just
pretending not to care while secretly feeling everything deeply?
(Cursed kid)
Since he starts with:
Gori boli ke sambhal lu main dil
Taki chot mere dil pe na aaye
Maine bola kabhi shayaro se mil
Dil tootne ka khauf mere dayaro mein nahi
Then he says in the end:
Kabhi kabhi mujhe lagta hai darr
Ke agar dono mil hi na paye
Is this a journey in relationship or you’re also like this.
Perhaps there are some similarities that I and the character in Rakam share but no it’s not me, the first verse is just the protagonist explaining to the girl that he is not afraid to fall in love with her even if that means his heart is gonna break. In the last verse the protagonist is saying what he’s actually scared of, he’s scared of never getting a chance to be with her. So to sum it up, he actually does not fear both of them breaking up with each other, rather both of them just want to give this relationship a try.
Q. When I first heard Haule Haule, it felt familiar, like I’d heard it somewhere before. Was it a conscious decision to incorporate elements from the Bhagam Bhag title track composed by Pritam?
(Cursed kid):
Well when Akshar came up with the verse I asked him the exact same question, he said its like a tribute to the actual creators who created such a beautiful song. It was sounding very cool so we mutually agreed.
Q. The verse from Rehnuma is so beautifully written where did you draw these references from? Chimto se khicho ye jism rukna nahi and Dhundhta hu ulfat ki kyaari. Beautiful and poetic fr!
(Akshar);
“Kahaniya Lage
Par Tera Mera Kya Hai Jo Jee Rahe Saari
To Nakshe Bane
Ab Dhoondhta Hu Ulfat Ki Ye Kyaari
To Ek Hi Nazar
Se Kheech Lo Meri Jaan Tum Saari
Apaar-E-Hunar
Tujhse Milu Tu Meri Mit’ti Lachaari
Tu Chimto Se Khiche Ye Jism Rukna Nahi
Milna Sake Jo Hum Na Sahi
Jaanu Tere Bhi Dukh Laazmi
Ye Ye Ye Ye
To Hoga Ye Padaav Nikat Dardnaak Bhi
Dil Laga Tujhse Darta Nahi
Neend Jo Cheene Sapna Wahi
Ye Ye Ye
Hu Sarfira Mai Tere Ishq Me
Mehfile Bhi Sabhi Waar Du
Oh Rehnuma Mujh Se Mujhko Tu Cheen
Tujhpe Hi Yaqeen Aur Sukoon”
I feel during the whole process of creating this song we had a specific lore in our mind, which was a witch who kills guys everyday in a village.She sees her love one day and he tries to convince her to not step back from killing him.Also I have a keen interest in hindi textbook stories.So I retain words and try to use them as references.Even in the pursuit of keeping the verse as layered as it can, I had this verse in around 30 minutes.
We’ve talked a lot about the EP, right? Now, let’s dive into getting to know the artists the real masterminds behind this banger!
Behind the Sound: Akshar and cursed kid:
Q . So what was your introduction to hiphop and DHH. Which song got you like i want to do this shit.
CK: The legendary beef between emiway and raftaar what else can it be. Then I discovered Talhah Yunus and when I finally heard Anjaan by JANI I said okay I gotta try this shit.
Akshar: Well its a very underrated track but i used to write short poems before gully boy came out.The song doori(both versions) and Kab se Kab tak made me fall in love with this genre and i started doing more of it
Q. Which is the artist you feel is closer to what you want to achieve in your music?
CK: Lupe Fiasco, Big Pun, KXNG CROOKED and MF DOOM for sure.
Akshar: I think there’s no one constant answer to this but i think Tory Lanez, The weeknd, Partynextdoor forsure.
Q. Love songs with a little bit of flex seems to be your forte! Are we going to get some other flavours from you in the near future?
CK: Yea for sure in fact I have a vision to jumpscare people in every genre known to mankind.
Akshar: I have done a lot of projects but they have a very minute connection linking each other up.I want to make a project the audience would visualize in front of their eyes, and we have a whole lotta ideas for it.
Q. What is your dream collaboration? Which artist would you like to collaborate with in DHH?
CK: Most are dead but the ones that are alive are, NF, Estas Tonne, Ren music and in DHH Raftaar, tsumyoki and probably yashraj.
Akshar: Whenever i think about collaborations,it has always been from the perspective of whether they would fit into the story i’d like to share. That’s why you’d find me featuring on many artist’s tracks and not the other way around. But to answer your question,I love what Muheet Khan, Praagya and 2facebleed are doing, would like to cook something with them.
Q. What more can we expect from you both in future?
CK: I honestly don’t know, it can be anything from hard gangsta rap to intense bollywood type melodies but one thing i can say for sure is that it’s gonna be better than our last stuff. That’s the sole purpose of my life, I just want to deliver quality music, lyrics, flows and rhythms, it shouldn’t matter what mood you’re in, I should have something ready in my arsenal to cater you.
Akshar: The future would have you guys enter new worlds that i’d create and sit around and watch the story unfold. We are currently working on a 3- part project, which is in pre production phase. Hopefully, you guys would be witnessing the crazy later this year. Watchout for the rollout tho :).
Their inspiration and journey in creating Rehem is truly remarkable. Blending hip hop with atouch of Bollywood is their forte, and they have no plans of slowing down. In 2025, this team is set to be unstoppable, delivering the best of their craft.
Wishing them all the success cheers to the Rehem team from Aflaatune!
