Five Indian Hip-Hop Artistes Street Academics love listening to

Born as Vighnesh Shivanand, Brodha V is Bangalore's leading face of Indian hip-hop. As a member of his earlier hip-hop outfit Machas with Attitude, Brodha V is also the first recipient of the Radio City Freedom Awards. He has managed successful breakthroughs in Hindi and Tamil film industries with his collaborations with leading music directors Vishal-Shekhar and Anirudh Ravichander.

Ashwini Mishra aka A-List from Mumbai has been rapping since 2004. He also started the Cypher Mania for hip-hop enthusiasts like himself, where each rapper freestyles for about a minute.

Roushan Illahi known by his stage name MC Kash, a name derived from his home state Kashmir, is one of the few independent voices to represent the pain and anguish felt by many youngsters in the state. He is known for having associated with Pune-based Sufi rock band Alif for their single, 'Like A Sufi'.

The 'Hip-Hop Bahu' hit machine from Chandigarh was once a naivet. Despite a conservative background, nothing could stop Manmeet from becoming one of the few successful female faces in a male-dominant Indian hip-hop environment.

The monstrous Jungli Sher who has doled out hits such as 'Meri Gully Mein', Vivian Fernandez aka Divine is Mumbai's leading face of Indian Hip-Hop. His overnight success in the independent scene has won him a lot of acclaim and commercial success. That a mainstream Bollywood film is in the making on his life only proves how far the hip-hop movement has come.

One of the front-most collectives to have hailed from the underground scene in India, Kerala's Street Academics are one of the leading hip-hop forces to reckon with. But when they are not busy penning and crooning their own verses, they love listening to these five contemporary hip-hop sensations. Click ahead to know who they seek they look up to.