Songfacts®:

• Hanumankind (real name Sooraj Cherukat) is an Indian rapper signed to Def Jam India. His track "Big Dawgs," with production by Hyderabad-based Kalmi, propelled him to international stardom.
• The song is a brash celebration of wealth and success, with Hanumankind's rapid-fire delivery showcasing lyrics about money, luxury, and a high-flying lifestyle. Projecting an image of dominance, he positions himself as one of the "big dawgs" in his world.
• Kalmi's production blends South Asian swagger with Western influences, creating a high-energy fusion of punk and powerful drum beats.
  
  "We were sitting down on a Zoom call - Kalmi actually lives in Hyderabad, and I live in Bangalore - and we were just trying to build a habit of making music without any intention, without any weight behind it, and see what happens. Hanumankind told Rolling Stone of the song's creation. "It took some 30 minutes for us to put together the beat, I wrote, and it rolled out."
  
  "Now, of course, there were changes that we made as the song came to completion," he added. "That is on us as artists to take pride in. It did have its own transformative process, but you can't lose that initial feeling, that initial spark that we had and the way that it came to be."
• Directed by frequent collaborator Bijoy Shetty and filmed in the coastal district of Ponnani, the music video for "Big Dawgs" is a visually stunning spectacle. The adrenaline-fueled clip shows Hanumankind performing daring stunts on the Well of Death, a gravity-defying attraction where riders drive cars or motorcycles along the vertical walls of a silo. This jaw-dropping imagery quickly went viral, capturing the attention of major online influencers and generating significant buzz worldwide.
  
  "A lot is happening in this video. But mainly, if you want something, you have to take the risk; otherwise, it won't happen," Hanumankind told Rolling Stone. "Even if you fail, it's still about taking action. For me, even if this video didn't succeed, I can tell my grandchildren that I actually took part in the well of death. At the very least, I'm proud of that experience."
• One day in early 2024, Hanumankind hopped on a Zoom call with his frequent collaborator, Kalmi. They're no strangers to creative experiments, so they kicked off with a familiar exercise. Kalmi drops a beat, and Hanumankind lets whatever comes to mind take the reins.
  
  "We didn't want boundaries on us," Hanumankind recalled to Billboard. "And the minute I heard that beat, I was like, 'Oh s--t.'"
  
  The beat, reminiscent of engine revs and laced with bristling synths, hit a nerve. The hook naturally followed, then the first verse. By the half-hour mark, the skeletal structure of what would become "Big Dawgs" was already in place.
  
  "Instantly, this flow came in," he said, though with a familiar tinge of doubt. Hanumankind, ever the over-thinker, didn't initially peg it as a single. "This song just came to be as a byproduct of being f--king weird, experimental folks."
  
  Luckily, Kalmi and their manager, Rohan Venkatesh, had far more faith in the track's potential. "We knew this was the one instantly," Venkatesh recalled. "There was a shock value to it." The two took the song for a spin – literally - on a drive, replaying it five times before calling Hanumankind the next morning to convince him to release it.
• Kalmi polished up the production, adding a chopped-and-screwed flourish to the outro, and Hanumankind tacked on a second verse for good measure. By July 9, 2024. "Big Dawgs" had roared its way onto streaming platforms, an accidental anthem born out of a creative whim.
• "Big Dawgs" got even bigger with a remix featuring A$AP Rocky. The Harlem rapper kicks off the track with his signature style, reminiscing about his humble beginnings. The duo debuted the remix live at Rolling Loud Thailand on November 22, 2024.