KR$NA

Krishna Kaul, known mononymously as Krishna, stylised now as KR$NA, (previously as Krsna; known formerly as YoungProzpekt) is an Indian rapper. He was one of the earliest rappers to emerge in the Indian hip hop scene in the mid-2000s under the stage name Prozpekt. He is widely acknowledged within the Desi hip-hop community for pioneering a lyrical revolution in the genre, infusing a new wave of poetic depth and lyrical complexity into hip-hop's narrative. He was also briefly featured in the 2019 Bollywood film Gully Boy as himself.

Early life

Krishna Kaul was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family in Delhi. He spent a part of his childhood in South London, where he was raised and schooled for a few years. Kaul started rapping at the age of fourteen in an effort to blend in with other children at his school in London. He did graduation from Hansraj College.

Career

Krishna's first shot of success came with the release of the music video for "Kaisa Mera Desh" in 2010, becoming the first Indian hip hop song on YouTube and earning a number 2 ranking as one of the most watched music videos in India overnight following its release. He also released a song titled "Vijay" in collaboration with international NGO Save The Children in 2013.

After sporadic underground releases, Kaul switched from Prozpekt to the stage name KRSNA after signing with Contrabands, a joint venture company between Universal Music India, VH1 and Hard Rock Cafe, in 2013. In May 2014, he released his debut album ''Sellout'', an all-English effort on Universal Music with its lead single "Last Night" peaking at number 5 on the VH1 Music Charts in India. Kaul became the first hip-hop artist in India to do a five-city album tour with a band. Following this, the music video for the title song "Sellout" was released but failed to make a large impact due to lacklustre marketing and shrinking label budgets.

After a two-year hiatus, Kaul made his return in 2016 with his Hindi release "Vyanjan". Following the success of the song, he signed to the artist management agency DNH Artists (now Kalamkaar) in 2017 and became a partner in 2018, with the likes of Ankit Khanna and Raftaar.

In 2020, Kaul accused the IPL and Disney+ Hotstar of permitting the plagiarism of his 2017 song "Dekh Kaun Aaya Wapas" when creating the 2020 IPL anthem "Ayenge Hum Wapas", an allegation which was dismissed by composer Pranav Ajayrao Malpe. Kaul responded by stating that "his team .. will take the legal route and approach Disney+Hotstar, which commissioned the song".

In the month of January 2021, Kaul was featured on American rapper Hi-Rez's song "Crossroads" along with Royce da 5'9". Later in July, another collaboration with Hi-Rez was released, titled "Playground" which also featured former Slaughterhouse member, KXNG Crooked. His collaboration in Hi-Rez's song "Overdrive", was released in November 2021, featuring A-F-R-O, Joell Ortiz, Bizzy Bone, Tech N9ne and Twista. The music videos were released on Hi-Rez's YouTube channel. In the same year, Kaul also released his sophomore studio album ''Still Here'', which was his first album released through Kalamkaar Records, the artist agency he had joined 3 years back.

In 2022, he featured on Karan Aujla's song "Ykwim", and also made an appearance in the music video. In the same year, also collaborated with British rapper French the Kid, on the song "10 Pe 10", which was released in November 2022, with an accompanying music video.

Kaul with Brodha V won the Radio City Freedom Awards 2023 on 31 March 2023, for the Best Indie Collaboration. The two won the Freedom Awards 7 for the song "Forever", which was released in September 2022. Starting in 2023, Kaul released a series of EPs, which featured collaborations from fellow rappers, and producers in the Desi hip-hop scene. His first EP, ''Time Will Tell'', released in March 2023 and featured Pakistani rappers Talha Anjum, and Talhah Yunus, and production from their frequent collaborators, Umair and Jokhay. His second EP, ''FAR FROM OVER'', released in August 2023, and featured the Indian hip-hop duo Seedhe Maut, musician AR Paisley and production from Bharg. His third EP, ''For The Day One$'', which released in the following year, also featured production from Bharg, and collaborations from rappers Faris Shafi, Karma, and singer Lisa Mishra.

In 2025, Kaul, along with 3 other rappers– Jay Park, MaSiWei, and Vannda, featured on Japanese hip-hop artist Awich's track "Asian State of Mind", which was released on 28 February, accompanied by a music video, which was shot in each of the featured rappers' home countries. In the same year, Kaul announced his first mixtape, ''Yours Truly'', which was also his first project to be distributed via Mass Appeal India. The announcement coincided with American rapper Nas making his India debut on 19 April 2025 at Mass Appeal Presents: The World Reunion—A Charity Concert in Mumbai. ''Yours Truly'' eventually released on 22 May 2025, with a title announcement, made 4 days prior to its release.

Discography

Albums

*2014: ''Sellout''
*2021: ''Still Here''

EPs

*2023: ''Time Will Tell''

* ''2023: Far from Over''

*2024: ''For the Day Ones''

Mixtapes

2025: ''Yours Truly''

Singles and collaborations

References

External links

*

KRSNA
at YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krsna
Indian rappers
Living people
21st-century Indian singers
Singers from Delhi
Rappers from Delhi
21st-century Indian male singers
Kashmiri Pandits
Year of birth missing (living people)
Hansraj College alumni