Hanumankind in Coachella Just Broke the Internet

Hanumankind’s journey from Kerala temple festivals to the Coachella stage is nothing short of epic. On April 11, amid the sun‑baked sands of the Empire Polo Club, Sooraj Cherukat—better known as Hanumankind—brought the thunderous pulse of Kerala’s Chenda Melam drums to the Mojave Tent, turning heads and melting faces with a set that made hip‑hop history.

Born in Malappuram and raised in Texas, Hanumankind fused his Indian roots with urban flair. “Make some noise for my Chenda boys!” he hollered, and the crowd erupted, stomping and chanting in unison as Kochuveettil Beats—decked out in crisp white mundus and shirts—laid down syncopated drum patterns that felt like a sonic temple ritual. When he dove into his latest banger, “Run It Up,” the moshpit went into overdrive, each beat drop a reminder that Indian heritage and hip‑hop aren’t just compatible—they’re combustible.

“Run It Up,” dropped last month, is a love letter to Indian martial arts like Kalaripayattu and Gatka, wrapped in a head‑nodding hip‑hop beat. It followed the introspective “Big Dawgs,” where Hanumankind stood in a clay pit, grappling with identity as cyclists whizzed by. The momentum was so strong that even PM Modi gave it a shout‑out on “Mann Ki Baat.”

By making his Coachella debut, Hanumankind joins a select squad of Indian acts—Diljit Dosanjh, AP Dhillon, and Sid Sriram—who’ve graced the festival’s stages. He shared the lineup with heavyweights like Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Post Malone, and punk‑pop icons Green Day, who used their set to voice solidarity with Palestine.

As Coachella runs over two identical weekends, expect Hanumankind to light up the desert again next weekend. Dressed in black jeans and a ganji, he didn’t just rap—he reclaimed India’s narrative on a global platform. His secret sauce? Authenticity. He’s not an “English rapper from India,” but an “Indian rapper on the world stage,” proudly weaving his heritage into every rhyme. South Asian hip‑hop just found its new standard‑bearer—brace yourselves for the ripple effect.