Paal Dabba at Rolling Loud India 2026: Meet Chennai's Milk-Named Rap Star

Before the Spotify charts, the film credits and the festival slot, Paal Dabba was a dancer. Now the Chennai artist is one of the names Tamil hip-hop fans are most excited to see on a global bill: he's booked for Rolling Loud India in Mumbai on Saturday, December 12, 2026.

From Pulianthope to the main stage

Paal Dabba is the stage name of Anish, born in Pulianthope, Chennai. According to Wikipedia, the name comes from his love of cold milk. He started out as a professional dancer with the Bfab crew, which helped win the Breezer Vivid Shuffle national competition in 2019, before pivoting to rap. In a Rolling Stone India interview he explained the switch: building a dance career in Chennai was tough, and rap let him keep dance in the picture.

His debut single, "3SHA" (2022), was shot and edited on his phone. He directs and edits his own visuals and has been learning to produce, and he draws on Afrobeats, funk and R&B, saying he doesn't want to be boxed in as only a rapper.

Songs to know

"170CM" (2023) came through Think Music and was featured in Apple's "Work is worth it" campaign. "Galatta" (2024), from the Malayalam film Aavesham, passed 30 million streams and charted in the Spotify Top 100 in India and the UAE. "Kaathu Mela" (2024), with OfRo, went viral on Instagram and also hit the Spotify India Top 100. He's also done film cuts like "His Name Is John" for Dhruva Natchathiram and "Makkamishi" for Brother.

More recently he linked with Bengaluru's Brodha V on "D.A.T.N." (2024), joined Reble, Vichaar and 99side on the multilingual "United by Hip Hop" (2025), and dropped "Adada" with Killa K in 2026.

Why catch the set

He was named to Rolling Stone India's Future Top 25 Artists in 2024 and won Independent Rap Singer (Tamil) at the Behindwoods Gold Mic Music Awards that year. A dancer-turned-rapper means movement, and his catalogue jumps between rap, funk and melody. If you want a South Indian voice on a lineup headlined by Burna Boy, Metro Boomin and Big Sean, this is the set.

Tickets

Rolling Loud India runs December 12-13 in Mumbai, with tickets on the District app. Details at rollingloud.com/india.