MC TodFod created his last track titled Truth & Bass in March with Rutu Ballal

It was, in fact, this track that got the hip hop frat to sit up and take notice. At a time when the focus was on Bambaiya Hindi and English rap, Parmar had chosen to write in his mother tongue, Gujarati. “[Back then] no one was representing Gujarati rap. His death is a loss for the Gujarati rap scene,” says Sebastian, adding that the respect Parmar earned had to do with the quality of his music, but also because of how he conducted himself. “He had talent of course, but I think his integrity made him stand apart. I never heard him speak ill about someone. It was all about showcasing his skills, showering love and having a good time,” says Ankur Johar, aka Enkore, adding that the young musician’s rebellious nature was evident in his personal life, too. “He was the same outside the studio. Music wasn’t entertainment for him; it was art, a reflection of society and the community. He was present at so many protests, whether it was to protect the Aarey forest or against CAA-NRC. In that sense, I think he truly represented hip hop.”

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While writing was Parmar’s forte, his colleague also remember him for his performance skills. Abhishek Dhusia says that he learnt Konnakol, the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in Carnatic music. “It is like folk music where you can emulate your voice in the tha-ki-ta rhythm. When he would write his verse incorporating the Konnakol style, it became a completely different rhythm.”

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Rutu Ballal, aka Chromaderma, with whom Parmar worked to release his last work, Truth & Bass, says the musician lived up to his moniker. “‘Tod fod’ was what I would say his performances were. Years ago, we were doing our first show together at The Den in Bandra. It was supposed to start at 10 pm. I asked him to come over an hour early so that we could practice. It was 10.15 and he was nowhere in sight. I got on stage and began to perform, when suddenly he arrived, picked up the mic and performed in the most natural, organic way. No one would’ve known he hadn’t practised. He was born for hip hop,” says shares Ballal, 42. The honesty he lived with reflected in his music. “He sang exactly what he saw and thought. I’ll miss that about him.”

Music writer and critic Amit Gurbaxani calls Parmar’s journey impressive. “Many saw him as a mentor, which is quite something, considering that one sees a lot of rivalry in hip hop. I think the fact that he was a mentor speaks volumes about why he was considered integral to Mumbai’s hip hop scene. He was definitely one of the acts to watch for and one of the fastest rising rappers on the scene.”

With inputs by Nidhi Lodaya