EPR is an Indian rapper and poet known for his informative and communicative raps, which focus on social issues such as corruption, communalism, violence against women and farmer suicides.
Wiki/Biography
EPR (also known as EPR Iyer) was born on Monday, April 3, 1989 (age 34 years; as of 2023) in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. His zodiac sign is Aries. He studied at AK Ghosh Memorial School and Ashutosh College in Kolkata. He holds an MA in Broadcast Journalism from NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata.
EPR in school uniform
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Weight (approximately): 60kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family and caste
EPR belongs to a Tamil Brahmin family in Kolkata.
parents
His father is a former classical singer.
EPR parents
wife and children
EPR is unmarried and has no children.
Profession
!prohibit
EPR formed a rap-metal band called “!Banned” in 2009 in Kolkata. It features him on vocals, Kuntal De on rhythm guitar, Roheet Mukherjee on bass guitar and Anup Hela on drums. The band was active from January 2009 to March 2010 and participated in various competitions held at cultural festivals in many universities in Kolkata. Some of the events where the band has performed and won titles include ‘Eclecia 2009’ at Heritage Institute of Technology (HIT), ‘AGON 2009’ at National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH), Kolkata, ‘Srijan 2010’ at Western Bangladesh “Sanskriti 2010” at University of Judicial Sciences (WBNUJS) and Jadavpur University. It also won the Times of India’s Youth Challenge in 2010. However, the band broke up in April 2010 when bass guitarist Roheet Mukherjee left and joined another urban band called Five Little Indians.
underground administration
EPR formed a rock band called Underground Authority in 2010, with members including Adil Rashid, Sourish Kumar and Soumyadeep Bhattacharya. The band soon started performing at college events in different cities across India. In 2010, the band even appeared on the reality show India’s Got Talent and made it to the finals. Over 12 years, they performed about 700 shows. EPR decided to leave the band in April 2023 to pursue a career as a solo rapper. Underground Authority’s last show will be on May 13, 2023.
Underground Authority rock band: (clockwise from front) EPR, Adil Rashid, Sourish Kumar and Soumyadeep Bhattacharya
Adityakot
On March 13, 2018, he formed a hip-hop group called Adiacot (Dream in Tea) with producer GJ Storm (also known as Kuntal De). The organization, registered under the name Adiacot Entertainment, aims to address social issues and raise awareness. EPR was inspired to start Adiacot after meeting two kids from Shillong, Sagnik Chowdhury and Soumyadeep Dasgupta. These two children had taken classes at EPR. They once had a common desire to form a team, thus forming the Adiacot team. With the help of photographer Jo (aka Souvanik Kundu), they released their first video song, “Gully Mein Apne Kutta Bhi Sher Hai”, which received 1 million views without any publicity costs; This song is a diss song by rappers Divine and Emiway Bantai.
solo
EPR made his debut as a rapper in 2020 with the album “Protest Poetry”. The album features 17 songs, including collaborations with other artists such as Nikhita Gandhi, Karma and Void. Some of the famous tracks from the album include Srini Bana Epr, Ekla Cholo Re, Kaun Virus? and Raastafari. The album was well received by listeners and earned EPR the title “protest poet”. In 2023, he released an album called “The Uncertainty Principle”.
MTV Hustle
EPR appeared in 2019 as a contestant on a rap/hip-hop reality show called MTV Hustle. In the show, he raps on topics like farmer suicide, depression, acid attacks and corruption. EPR then finished second, while M-Zee Bella won the competition.
EPR named runner-up on “MTV Hustle” (2019) with M-Zee Bella
In 2022, he played one of the four squad leaders in the second season, alongside Dino James, Dee MC, and King Rocko. In 2023, he continued in the third season as squad boss James, Dee MC, and Ika alongside Dino.
EPR serves as monitor with Badshah on the show “MTV Hustle” 3.0 (2023)
dispute
religious extremism
His EPR song “Religious Extremism”, which he sang during the rap battle on the MTV Hustle 2.0 show, attracted widespread attention. In the rap, he touches on sensitive topics such as the slogan “Sar tan se juda”, which is used by some fundamentalists to behead those who insult Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. EPR criticized the slogan and spoke about issues such as Nupur Sharma case and Kanhaiya Lal murder case in 2022. While some praised his bravery, others criticized him, accusing him of seeking fame by speaking out about these topics. Due to security concerns, some netizens even asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to provide him with protection as he addressed controversial issues in his rap.
tattoo
EPR has a tattoo of a Native American girl on his right tricep.
EPR tattoo on right tricep
He has a peacock on his upper part and another tattoo on the lower part of his left arm.
EPR tattoo on left arm
He has a tattoo on his right forearm.
EPR tattoo on right forearm
punching
His nipples were pierced.
EPR puncture
Favorites
- Poem: “Walking Through the Woods on a Snowy Night” by Robert Frost
- Poets: Wilfred Owen, Pablo Neruda
- Screenwriter: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Albums: Metallica’s “The Black Album”, Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP”, Logic’s “NoPressure”
- K-pop song: “How You Like That” by BLACKPINK
- Quote: Until lions learn to talk, hunting stories are weak!
Facts/Trivia
- EPR stands for emcee poet rapper. EPR revealed in an interview that his real name is Yagya Swami Krishna Swami Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer; however, since the name is too long, he is usually called Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer.
- EPR became interested in rap as a student. According to him, he was influenced by listening to British rock music on MTV, Channel and other channels. [V]and VH1.
- EPR started writing songs in 2002.
- Since his school, AK Ghosh Memorial, did not organize many festivals, he started trying to find a bigger stage. After learning that the East India Student-run newspaper The Telegraph of Schools (TTIS) was organizing a major music festival in Swabhumi, Kolkata, he formed a band called “Miasma” with his friends to participate in the event. The band later participated in various Western band competitions at the Intercollegiate Music Festival, primarily from 2005 to 2007.
- EPR was diagnosed with cholesteatoma in 2013; cholesteatoma is an abnormal collection of skin cells deep in the ear that causes hearing impairment. According to EPR, doctors have said he will not be able to perform on stage again. However, 3 months after his recovery in December 2013, he participated in the Hornbill International Rock Competition in Kohima, Nagaland, along with the band Underground Authority. The band emerged as the winner, with its members winning Best Band, Best Vocalist, Best Bassist, Best Drummer, and Best Guitarist runner-up for the event.
The Underground Authority rock band after winning the Hornbill International Rock Competition in December 2013
- EPR calls himself a “street reporter” because he uses rap to address social and national issues.
- According to EPR, his primary style is sociopolitical writing.
- EPR believes that the Gully Boys and other Punjabi rappers who wear lots of jewelery and display guns did not introduce rap to India. He believes that Indian hip-hop has deeper roots and that the first important hip-hop culture in India emerged in the Northeast. Talking about the same in an interview, he said,
Contrary to what people think nowadays, Indian rap did not start in the gullies. Earlier, you had to wear oversized clothes and jewelry to be considered a real rapper. After Gully Boy, you needed to speak Mumbai street lingo to gain credibility. I don’t subscribe either. Art is subjective and it doesn’t matter to me what I wear on stage because I live in hip-hop. “
- In an interview, EPR stated that he began his rap journey by participating in text-based rap competitions in the “Insignia Rap” community on Orkut; a platform that allows individuals to engage in text battles with moderators from around the world.
- EPR once despised Divine, Nucleya and Raja Kumari. Speaking on the matter in an interview, he revealed that Nucleya contacted him after hearing the song and expressed interest in collaborating on a song with him. EPR added that despite his initial tension with the rapper, whom he despised, they developed a good friendship over time.
- In an interview, he revealed that he studied Urdu for five months to compose the song ADR/ABR.
- EPR follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He drank alcohol on various occasions.
- EPR loves animals, especially cats. He often posts photos of them on social media.
- EPR was once part of the Hypokrites troupe.
- According to him, he teaches rap in his free time. In an interview, he revealed that he taught rap and poetry at a college in Kolkata called Home Sweet Cruizer Lane (aka The Haveli), which was later shut down.
- EPR was initially offered the opportunity to host the show “MTV Hustle” in 2019; however, he declined the offer as he preferred to participate as a contestant.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education