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Image source: StarsUnfolded

Musicians

DIVINE (Rapper) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 4 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth2 October 1990

BirthplaceAndheri, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

ProfessionSinger/Rapper (Hip-Hop/Rap)

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Name not known; Mother - works in Qatar; Brother - Anthony Fernandes (elder, works in Qatar)

DIVINE (Rapper) Biography

Vivian Fernandes, known professionally as Divine, is an Indian hip-hop artist from Mumbai who helped bring Hindi street rap into the mainstream. Rising out

Early life and background
Vivian Fernandes was born on 2 October 1990 in Andheri, Mumbai, and grew up in the chawl neighbourhoods of J. B. Nagar. Raised in a lower-middle-class Christian household, he spent much of his childhood in a single-parent environment after his father left. His mother later moved to Qatar for work, and Vivian and his elder brother were cared for by their grandmother. His brother also moved to Qatar when Vivian was a teenager.

Music entered his life through encounters with international hip-hop artists. An early fascination with images and CDs featuring rappers such as 50 Cent and Eminem led him to spend long hours listening and learning. He began writing rap in 11th grade and would often spend five hours refining a single verse. School visits to a church in Marol became a quiet place for him to practise, and it was during this period that he adopted the stage name Divine.

Education and early influences
Vivian attended St. John the Evangelist High School in Marol and later studied at R.D. National College in Mumbai, from which he graduated. During college he joined a local hip-hop collective called Mumbai’s Finest and learned from an established rapper known as Ace. After finishing his studies, his mother gifted him a computer and a microphone, tools that helped him begin recording his own material.

Career
Divine started crafting songs in English but shifted to Hindi, feeling the language fit his voice better. He filmed early material with rudimentary gear; his first recorded video, “Coming For You,” was shot on a Nokia N8 phone. In 2013 he released his debut single “Yeh Mera Bombay,” which resonated locally and brought him recognition across Mumbai. The same year he put out “Jungli Sher,” an autobiographical track filmed on location throughout the city.

A major turning point came in 2015 when he teamed up with fellow Mumbai rapper Naved Shaikh, better known as Naezy. Their collaboration “Mere Gully Mein” captured the realities of life in the city’s streets and became widely regarded as a defining moment for the emerging gully rap movement. Divine later secured a contract with Sony Music India, and his work reached wider platforms; he became the first Indian artist to have a single released worldwide by Apple Music and was the first Indian rapper to perform in Hindi on BBC 1’s Fire in the Booth.

Entrepreneurship and Gully Gang
Divine founded the Mumbai-based collective and label Gully Gang, creating a platform for local artists and helping to organize a community around street rap. His efforts contributed to a growing Hindi hip-hop scene and inspired filmmakers and audiences beyond the music world.

Public profile
Divine’s life and music attracted attention from the film industry as well. Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar saw him perform at a club in Mumbai and, moved by the stories of street rappers, went on to make Gully Boy, a 2019 musical film that drew inspiration from Divine and Naezy. Actor Ranveer Singh portrayed a character inspired by Vivian’s experiences in the movie.

He has received several recognitions: in 2014 his video for “Yeh Mera Bombay” was named best video of the year by Rolling Stone India; in 2016 he was included in BBC Asian Network’s list of artists to watch; and in 2018 he won the Outlook Social Media Award for Musician of the Year.

Personal life and interests
Divine lives in Mumbai and is unmarried. He follows Christianity and lists non-vegetarian food among his preferences, with dal and rice noted as a favourite meal. He enjoys travelling and going to the gym. He is a dog lover and has a pit bull named Grumpee. Physically, Divine is approximately 168 cm tall and around 60 kg.

Style and public image
Divine’s musical tastes include a broad range of hip-hop and rap artists—both Indian and international—such as Eminem, 50 Cent, Tupac, Nas, Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper and others. He has cited classic albums like Illmatic and Me Against the World among his influences, and lists producers such as Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams as favourites. His personal look includes tattoos on his right forearm and chest.

Latest updates
In 2018, Divine received a Mahindra Thar CRDe as a personal gift from Anand Mahindra. His profile continued to rise after the release of Gully Boy in 2019, which broadened public awareness of gully rap and the artists who inspired it.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about DIVINE (Rapper), send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

Yeh Mera Bombay

Debut single released in 2013 that gained local recognition in Mumbai.

2013
Paintra (film: Mukkabaaz)

Contributed as a singer for the Bollywood film Mukkabaaz in 2017.

2017
Mere Gully Mein (with Naezy)

Collaborative track released in 2015 that became an anthem for Mumbai’s street rap scene.

2015
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Career Highlights

  1. Founder of the Mumbai-based crew and label Gully Gang
  2. First Indian artist to have a single released worldwide by Apple Music
  3. First Indian rapper to rap in Hindi on BBC 1’s Fire in the Booth
  4. "Yeh Mera Bombay" named Rolling Stone India’s best video of the year (2014)
  5. Outlook Social Media Award – Musician of the Year (2018)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was DIVINE (Rapper) born?

DIVINE (Rapper) was born on 2 October 1990.

What is DIVINE (Rapper) known for?

DIVINE (Rapper) is known for singer/Rapper (Hip-Hop/Rap).

What is DIVINE (Rapper)’s marital status?

DIVINE (Rapper)'s marital status is listed as Unmarried.