Adi Flexes Independence in Latest Single ‘MATH’

‘MATH’ is a low-stakes, enjoyable single that offers a glimpse into a potentially more experimental hip-hop project that Adi may release with the new team of collaborators he has found in Dishaan and Hakimetc

Adi & Hakimetc. (Photograph Courtesy of Artist)

Mumbai-based rapper and co-host of the increasingly popular online show The Having Said That Show, Aditya Lodha—aka Adi—has released his latest single “MATH.” This track marks the second collaboration with songwriter/producer Dishaan Gidwani and the first collaboration with producer Yuvaan Makar aka Hakimetc. Upon gaining rapid popularity for his online show, where Adi and his co-hosts speak with guests from varying backgrounds and professions, the young rapper seemed to put his music career on a lower ring of priority. It was this past year when he released his single “Remind Me”, also in collaboration with Dishaan, where Adi’s fans got a clearer indication of which direction his music plans seem to be heading towards.

“MATH” is a short, cheeky cut where Adi gets to exercise some of his under-focused creative muscles and—for all intents and purposes—mess around a bit. Despite being the shortest track in the artist’s discography (clocking in at just under a minute and a half), Adi succeeds in highlighting a handful of topics that have been on the rapper-entrepreneur’s mind. Namely, the creation of his own record label Chump Change Records, which he previously utilized to release the track “Remind Me” (also with Dishaan). Adi goes to a specific length to boast about the fact that he now owns his own songs’ master rights and is now enjoying the newfound independence that comes as a result of taking ownership of his music compositions and publishing. He further takes a measure to point out how, despite a lack of regularity in his music releases owing to his focus on creating a podcast, Adi has not “forgotten how to rap”.

“Ever since I started talking shit/I forgot how to rap ha?/Went and made the podcast a hit/Then did the same with this track bruh”

Adi & Dishaan (Photograph Courtesy of Artist)

The track itself hints at an interesting experimental production space that Adi is entering. The two producers on “MATH”, Dishaan and Hakimetc work together to create an up-tempo hyperpop instrumental that leads the song. They’ve incorporated generic, club-focused (albeit hard-hitting) 808s to fill up the space of MATH while still allowing Adi’s lyrics to remain the central focus. In a similar vein to Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem’s 2023 single “The Hillbillies”, Adi adopts a near-identical flow while recontextualizing the lyrics to fit his current headspace. Derivativeness aside, it’s the rapper’s periodic breathy ad-libs (Drake circa anything he’s put out post-2020) that come across as minorly intrusive and out-of-place in the otherwise upbeat, arcade-core, Nyan Cat-esque instrumental.

When asked about the production process at large, the rapper explained, “There was zero thought process, we were acting from pure instinct. In fact, I have a 27 minute GoPro clip from our writing session where we made and laid down the first demo.” Dishaan, the producer on the track, further elaborates that him and Hakimetc “wanted to lean into the annoying sample, and have Adi deliver a lower, meaner vocal to add to the braggadocios personality of the song.”

“MATH” is accompanied by a music video that succeeds in furthering the thematic identity of the track, with energetic, quickly cut visuals that beckon to Adi’s older YouTube editing style. Directed by Jonathan Mathew and team, the fish-eye lens-led direction and match cuts showcase the streets of South Mumbai through the perspective of, what looks like, a fly on the wall during an evening out with Adi.

Ultimately, “MATH” is a low-stakes, enjoyable single that offers a glimpse into a potentially more experimental hip-hop project that Adi may release with the new team of collaborators he has found in Dishaan and Hakimetc. Despite its shortcomings and perhaps equally short shelf life, the track is—at the end of the day—still undoubtedly fun. The music video, which is an avenue Adi excels at, provides high-energy visuals to get the rapper’s core audiences excited for what could be in store for the near future.

Regarding any upcoming releases in the pipeline, Adi went on to state that “[they] have a single called ‘ LOOK AT ME’ releasing May 31st, accompanied by a prelude ‘MISSED CALLS’ and a music video.”

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