MC Tod Fod, or Dharmesh Parmar, who was part of a multilingual hip-hop group Swadesi, has passed away at the age of 24. Azadi Records, Swadesi’s label, confirmed the news on Instagram on Monday.
The label also shared a video paying tribute to the rapper, who performed in Gujarati and Hindi, highlighting clips from some of his stage performances. The rapper died on Monday.
The cause of his death could be a result of a pre-existing heart ailment, The Indian Express reported.
“He was playing football with his Swadesi crew members at a place near Nashik when he collapsed,” said Uday Kapur, cofounder of Azadi Records. “Right now, his friends and family are completely shell-shocked.”
In 2019, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar had roped in Tod Fod along with other Indian hip-hop artistes for her her movie, Gully Boy. Tod Fod wrote a verse for India 91, a song used in the Ranveer Singh-starrer movie. Gully Boy was inspired by the lives of street or underground rappers.
Both Singh and his co-star Siddhant Chaturvedi mourned Tod Fod’s demise, News18 reported. Singh shared a picture of the rapper as his Instagram story. Chaturvedi shared a screenshot of his conversation with Tod Fod, in which they are talking about music.
Akhtar shared a photo of Tod Fod on her Instagram account. “You have gone way too soon,” she wrote. “I can only be grateful our paths crossed.”
Swadesi, which was formed in 2013, also shared a clip from Tod Fod’s last performance.
“It was with this night that Tod Fod performed his last ever gig at Swadesi Mela,” the official handle wrote. “You had to be there to experience it, his thrill his love for playing live music. You are never forgotten, you will always live through with your music.”
Equality Labs, a Dalit civil rights organisation that works for caste, gender and racial equity, shared condolences on Twitter.
“We offer love and strength to his family, members of the Swadesi Movement and everybody grieving the loss of this young artist,” the official handle wrote. “Rest in power, Tod Fod.”
Tod Fod’s last rites were conducted at his Bombay Development Directorate chawl home in Dadar on Monday.
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