A misfit in motion: Chaar Diwaari on working with Raftaar for Farebi, growing through music, and chaos that built him
For rapper Chaar Diwaari aKa Garv Taneja, music isn't just a form of self-expression—it's survival in chaos. And there's no better training ground for that than Delhi, his hometown. 'Delhi's chaos is a part of who I am. Its hustle, its attitude, the stories that unfold every night on the streets—I love it,' says the rapper-producer. It's this unfiltered energy that has shaped not just his sound, but his inner conflict, an ongoing search for belonging and his way of seeing the world.
That theme of belonging—or the lack of it—cuts through his latest release Farebi, a gritty, cinematic track that plays like a fugitive's confession. 'It's about a guy on the run, from heartbreak, from the law, from himself,' he says.
What started as a one-man vision transformed into something layered and multidimensional once popular rapper Raftaar stepped in. 'I sent him the track on WhatsApp, and he came up with this verse from the girl's perspective—the one whose heart I've broken. It flipped the whole narrative. We got on a call and he wrote his verse right in front of me. I loved what he did with it.' The result is a powerful two-sided story, one that mirrors the emotional complexity often buried under his hard-hitting beats.
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The sound of Farebi is intense—gruff electronic textures crash into hip-hop flows, with flashes of dubstep-like aggression. But for Chaar Diwari, sonic direction isn't a strategic choice. 'I don't decide much. I just let the track's soul guide me. Wherever the track speaks, I produce it in that way. I don't think too much,' he says.
It's a mindset that's also reflected in his unconventional journey: he dropped out of music school after three years, not out of rebellion, but because it wasn't serving his purpose. 'I wasn't learning anything there and a lot of my time was being wasted. But I'm glad I went—it was in the hills, in Solan Bada, basically a forest. Being there for three years gave me a new perspective,' he says.
That perspective continues to evolve with every release, whether it's the raw, emotional Jhaag or the bristling Violence. Yet the one thread running through it all is a deep, restless self-exploration. 'I think my music represents me growing up. Figuring out where I'm supposed to be, who I'm supposed to be, dealing with the feeling of being a misfit. That's just a part of me,' he reflects.
And perhaps that's why the track that introduces his artistry to new listeners in the best way according to him is Barood. 'It's one of the rawest things I've made, one of the most on-edge. I usually send that to people first—I like seeing their reaction,' he concludes.
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