Guru Purnima: Eminem, Tech N9ne and Lil Wayne are my true gurus, says Bantai

Rapper-singer Emiway Bantai believes it’s not necessary to learn from someone in-person to become a disciple. He considers rappers Eminem, Tech N9ne and Lil Wayne his gurus and says, “They have been my true gurus. Their songs have inspired a little boy from Mumbai’s Antop Hill to become one of India’s top rap artistes.”

Bantai feels he’s imbibed several qualities from these American rappers. “I owe the flow, switches and punches in my music to them. Whenever I rap, there’s a certain kind of energy that I bring into it that makes it 10-folds stronger. I’ve always been inspired by Eminem and Tech N9ne’s flows,” says the rapper, who says he enjoys a beautiful relationship with his gurus “via speakers and headphones”. He adds, “I listen to them to get inspired and push my limits.

Life has been a teacher too

Like most rappers, Bantai, too, has been inspired by his real-life incidents when it comes to writing music. He says, “My songs are highly inspired by occurrences in my daily life. My journey, learnings and experiences reflect in my songs.” My latest Album, KOTS, is entirely about my personal and professional journey of becoming Emiway Bantai and conquering the Indian rap scene. Furthermore, I’ve explored working with label as Namoh Studios, which would mark as the first label that my songs would release from. It’s a new venture I’m stepping into.