Reservoir invests in India, signs multi-platinum rapper Divine and Inks Joint Venture with Gully Gang Entertainment

India, 17^th August, 2020 – One of the world’s most reputed music publishing companies, Reservoir announces the signing of multi-platinum rapper DIVINE to a worldwide publishing deal, marking a first-of-its-kind deal for India.

The deal entails global rights to his catalog, as well as his future works and fans can expect DIVINE to release brand new music later this year in collaboration with other Reservoir roster talent. In addition, Reservoir has struck a joint venture with DIVINE’s Gully Gang Entertainment, the umbrella company which houses the artist’s label Gully Gang Records, to sign and develop new songwriting talent. DIVINE whose artistry has reaped over a billion streams across audio and video platforms to date, has been at the forefront of rap and hip hop since he broke into the genre. He is synonymous with the popularity of hip-hop movement in India, quickly acquiring a distinct reputation of being one of the most forward-thinking rappers of his generation responsible for the advent of the “gully rap” movement. DIVINE states, “2020 is all about manifestations and taking things a few notches higher. I’m super elated to partner with Reservoir who aspire to leverage my desi brand of hip hop amongst global tastemakers. It’s time that Indian hip hop and rap is no longer confined to homegrown parameters but assumes the form of a world phenomenon!” The New York-headquartered Reservoir is a family-run, independent music company with titles dating as far back as 1900 and hundreds of contemporary #1s worldwide. Spek, Reservoir’s EVP of International & Emerging Markets says, “In a market historically dominated by Bollywood, what DIVINE has done to bring hip-hop into the mainstream is really unprecedented in India. It’s a remarkable story and we look forward to making history together, signing the next generation of Asian hip-hop talent with Gully Gang. It’s an exciting time for Indian hip-hop as they cross over into global markets to the diaspora and beyond.” Rell Lafargue, Reservoir President and COO, “We believe in the music DIVINE is making and the movement he has created,” added Rell Lafargue, Reservoir President and COO. “This new partnership reaffirms our commitment to supporting creators in emerging markets and helping them reach new fans across the globe, and we’re proud to be kicking things off in India with DIVINE.” Launched in 2019, Gully Gang Entertainment is an independent, commercial venture of DIVINE and serves as the umbrella company which houses the record label ‘Gully Gang Records’ and is home to a diverse talent pool comprising of D’Evil, MC Altaf, Shah Rule, Aavrutti, Karan Kanchan, Stunnah, Xplicit, DJ Proof and in-house filmmakers JD & Gltch. Chaitanya Kataria, Co-Founder, Gully Gang Entertainment states, “We’re extremely pleased to have Reservoir as a partner for our joint venture and for them to represent DIVINE’s publishing interests. Reservoir’s growth in an extremely competitive market has been tremendous and we see a lot of synergy and parallels with what we’re building here at Gully Gang Entertainment.”

Apart from this massive global development, his sophomore album expected to drop on Gully Gang Records later this year.

Last year, DIVINE signed a global record deal with Universal Music Group and Mass Appeal, with the latter company – co-owned by rap legend Nas – launching in India in tandem with UMG. DIVINE and Gully Gang Entertainment were advised by music & entertainment rights expert Priyanka Khimani from India in the publishing deal and joint venture with Reservoir, respectively.