Talha Anjum

Talha Anjum was born on 3 October 1995 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.^[1][2][3] His younger brother, Umer Anjum, is also a rapper.^[4]

Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus realized their potential during school and formed the Young Stunners. Based in Karachi, they introduced Urdu rap to the Pakistani music industry.^[5][6][7] In 2013, their song "Burger-e-Karachi" brought them initial fame, followed by other tracks like "Maila Majnun" and "Laam Sai Chaura".^[8] Though they briefly separated and struggled during their solo careers, they reunited in 2017 for their debut album Rebirth.^[1] Later in 2021, their major releases included "Gumaan", "Afsanay", and the #HBLPSL6 anthem, "Groove Mera".^[9][10] The duo also featured together in a live show at Pakistan Day Parade.^[11]

Anjum then also began to appear separately and collaborated with other artists. In 2022, he collaborated with Karakoram and Faris Shafi to perform "Ye Dunya", a nu metal track from #CokeStudio14, which discusses the struggles and emotional support for each other.^[12] He released "Nevermind" with Indian rapper Calm.^[13] In 2023, he released his debut solo album, Open Letter, which earned him two nominations at the 23rd Lux Style Awards.^[14]

In 2024, he released "Kaun Talha", a diss track in response to a comment made by Indian rapper Naezy, in an interview.^[15] He then released his second solo album, My Terrible Mind, in collaboration with the American label Mass Appeal. In December, Anjum made his cinematic debut in the short film Kattar Karachi, a visual representation of the album, and also served as an executive producer.^[2][16] Though the film underperformed,^[17] it won the Lux Style Award for Film of the Year.^[18] Next year, he collaborated with Ali Zafar and others for the #HBLPSLX anthem, "X Dekho".^[19]

Anjum is inspired by Jaun Elia and his poetic style, and he uses street language, local humour, and social commentary in his lyrics to connect with the newer generation.^[a] He backs his unfiltered rap style and themes, though he clarifies that he does not intend to promote drugs and violence.^[23] Indian rapper Badshah has also praised his writing style.^[7][24]

According to the 2024 Spotify Wrapped, he became the most-streamed local artist in Pakistan.^[2][25] He had 17 tracks featured out of the top 30 Pakistani tracks on the Spotify Global Impact list.^[26] He was second to Atif Aslam in the previous two years.^[27] In the following years, he was named Pakistani Gen-Z's most favourite artist, with hip-hop as their most favourite genre,^[28] and he was ranked the most-streamed local artist since the Spotify Pakistan started in 2021.^[29]

In 2025, Anjum faced a disturbance during some of his concerts in different cities of Pakistan, when objects were thrown at him, and the organizers had to forcibly remove the alleged perpetrator from the venue.^[30] In November, Anjum faced backlash from Pakistani media for waving the Indian flag at a concert in Nepal, though he defended his action by distinguishing art from politics.^[31] However, he issued an unconditional apology few days later, in a live TV show hosted by Nadia Khan.^[32]

• Kattar Karachi (2024)