Universal Music Group (UMG) has launched a new label division- Def Jam India, which is dedicated to representing what it says is “The best Hip Hop and Rap talent from the region.” UMG says that Def Jam India will follow the blueprint of the iconic Def Jam Recordings label which” Has led and influenced the cutting-edge in Hip Hop and urban culture for more than 35 years.”

The formation of Def Jam India follows 2019’s launch of Def Jam East Asia and 2020’s Def jam Vietnam to support Vietnamese Rap artists. Def Jam Vietnam became the sixth country in the region to join the global Def Jam family following Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia as part of Def Jam South East Asia. In 2020 UMG created Def Jam Africa to seek out and sign Hip Hop, Afrobeat and Trap talent on the continent.

The first flagship artists to sign with Def Jam India are Ditto James and Fotty Seven. Dino James is a Rap artist, singer, composer and songwriter hailing from Sarni in Madhya Pradesh, India. James has more than 5.1 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 400 million video views to date with over 100 million streams across all major streaming platforms.

Fotty Seven initially rhymed in English, but switched to Hindi in an effort to reach the masses. Seven is also part of a trio called Kaleshi Launde. The first Def Jam India releases will be new singles from Dino James’ Lost and Fotty Seven’s Banjo. Both singles will be released this month.