Bengaluru: Crack in the Pavement (CITP), now a prominent name in Bengaluru’s street culture circuit, began with no elaborate business plan. Instead, it sprang from a simple, shared passion for hip-hop, say its founders. But judging by the nearly 800 attendees who turned up for its third edition in October, the movement has rapidly grown beyond expectations, carving a significant place in the city’s cultural landscape.
A collective born from the love of hip-hop
CITP was founded in 2024 by DJ Panic, DJ Arah (Bharat) and Nandith Jaisimha, with DJ Shiva Manvi joining the founding team for the latest edition. What united them was their motivation to revive hip-hop in Bengaluru, a genre they felt was slowly fading from club culture.
“Playing hip-hop at clubs has been dying for a while now and we wanted to revive it,” says Nandith. The collective is built on the trinity of hip-hop, streetwear and sneakers. While music remains its core, CITP also embraces streetwear fashion, collectible art and urban lifestyle elements, aiming to bring the “whole OG vibe back” to the city.
“We are out here to push the culture,” adds Shiva Manvi, a DJ with over 12 years of experience. “At CITP, we bring like-minded people and like-minded music together.”
Building a full-scale street culture movement
For DJ Panic, the long-term vision reaches far beyond weekend gigs. He hopes to see CITP blossom into a full-scale festival celebrating street culture—from music, b-boying and graffiti to skateboarding, fashion, handicrafts and more.
“The vision is to take the movement across cities and eventually around the world,” he says. The collective also hopes to create dedicated spaces such as skate parks, dance studios and open cyphers for emerging artistes. “It’s about building a vibrant community that gives street culture in India the recognition it deserves.”
Slow and steady growth with each edition
The first edition of CITP drew close to 400 attendees and featured 12 DJs, two rappers and 10 pop-ups. Since then, every edition has scaled up in terms of curation and participation. The founders have intentionally kept ticket prices affordable — between ₹499 and ₹999 — to ensure accessibility for students and young enthusiasts.
Although the event is entirely self-funded, the organisers benefit from collaborations with sneaker brands that provide merchandise, giveaways and support. “That is how you build a community; without collaboration, we cannot succeed,” says Nandith.
A launchpad for underground talent
CITP has also become an important platform for discovering new artistes. “Every third day, we are approached by underground artistes who want to come and perform,” says Nandith. The collective welcomes performers from diverse linguistic backgrounds — Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu — as long as they align with CITP’s ethos and demonstrate strong talent.
The latest edition, which marked a leap forward, featured international singer-songwriter Iyaz, best known for his global hit Replay. Iyaz praised the intimacy of the event, saying, “CITP was quite an intimate performance — I got to see the fans and take pictures with them. Kudos to the team!”
Local artistes too lauded the energy of the crowd. Rapper Anup KR (Kata) described the audience as deeply engaged, while DJ Santana Maria Lambert highlighted the event’s social role: “The collective offers a space to get to know each other and enjoy at the same time.”
Strengthening Bengaluru’s hip-hop ecosystem
Karthik Sundar Gubbi, a multilingual rapper and long-standing member of the city’s hip-hop scene, sees CITP as a natural evolution of a culture built over decades. “This collective has everything associated with hip-hop and is building a community of artistes,” he says. He notes that the third edition marked a major upgrade — not only because of the international act, but also due to the improved organisation.
The success of this edition has strengthened CITP’s reputation as a driving force in South India’s hip-hop ecosystem. What started out as a passion project has now turned into a cultural movement that blends inclusivity, creativity and community spirit.
Looking ahead: quarterly events and wider reach
The team hopes to maintain momentum by hosting at least one event every quarter. “Every quarter, or at least four good events a year,” says the team, outlining their roadmap for sustainable growth.
Nandith sums up the ethos that has guided CITP’s journey so far: “If you believe in something, just do it. And stick to your roots, never forget where you started from.”