During the closing credits of the premiere episode of Disney’s new series Ms. Marvel, a scorching hip-hop track can be heard playing in the background. As it turns out, the song, titled “Rozi,” is by Eva B, who is dubbed as Pakistan’s first-ever female rapper.
Entirely rapped in Urdu, the track marks Eva B’s first release on Naughty Horses Records. Gingger Shankar co-wrote and produced “Rozi,” which features both Pakistani and Indian influences.
The lyrics match the journey of Ms. Marvel protagonist Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) as a Muslim teenager navigating life in New Jersey. “Asar he ye mjhpe logon ki baton ka,” Eva B spits with authority. “Faraq he ye soch or duniya ki nazron ka/ Duniya to bolti thi bolti rahegi ye/ Himmat ka he parwana parwaz he hoslon ka.”
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In English, this translates to: “This is the effect of people’s words to me/ The difference is this thinking and worldview/ The world keeps talking/ But the courage to fly is the flight of destinations.”
Shankar opened up about the song in a statement, saying,
“The track is done in Urdu, which for a mainstream Marvel series to do is fantastic. I’ve always been a fan of Marvel, but if you had told me five years ago that we would be doing an Urdu hip-hop track with Pakistani and Indian influences for a Pakistani female superhero, I wouldn’t have believed it! ‘Rozi’ is an anthem for women’s empowerment and Eva B delivers. Eva and I worked on it through the pandemic between Los Angeles and Pakistan and are thrilled for folks to see its debut on Ms. Marvel.”
Eva B’s trailblazing story involves overcoming more obstacles than the average person can even imagine. After being discouraged by her family to become a rapper, she gave up on the dream until her cousin stepped in. Under the conditions that she couldn’t use her real name or reveal her identity, Eva B then had to figure out how to lay down tracks without access to any recording equipment.
With a song recorded on her phone, Eva B caught the attention of the head of Pakistan’s largest streaming platform before going on to drop viral hits like “Gully Girls” and “Kana Yaari” — all while being forbidden to perform in public and remaining anonymous with a facial veil.
Listen to “Rozi” below.
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Tagged: Alternative Music, Hip-Hop, Ms. Marvel, music, music blog, New Music Releases, NEWS, TV