Marvel’s new superhero show, Ms. Marvel, is out now on Disney Plus, introducing non-comic book fans to Kamala Khan, one of the medium’s most beloved new characters since Miles Morales. Fans who watched the show were treated to a brand-new song from Pakistani rapper, Eva B, who’s credited with being the nation’s first-ever female rapper. The song is called “Rozi” and is rapped entirely in Urdu; it’s about embracing your self-confidence despite what people may say — a poignant concept that reflects one of the show’s main themes.
Say what you want to about Disney and Marvel — they are massive corporate entities that exist for the sole purpose of making (a lot of) money, so they’ll never have the best track record with this stuff — but it’s pretty cool how they’d tried to highlight the backgrounds of their diverse new cast of heroes through the soundtracks of the projects featuring them. Like recruiting TDE and Kendrick Lamar to executive produce the soundtrack for Black Panther and 88rising to soundtrack Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, tapping a Pakistani rapper — especially a young woman whose struggles echo those of Kamala herself — expands the scope of possibilities for any number of people worldwide.
Because of certain cultural mores, Eva B was discouraged from pursuing her career, but was supported by a cousin. She still had to record music without access to a studio, recording on her phone and catching the attention of the head of Pakistan’s largest streaming platform. However, because of the political situation in Pakistan, she’s been unable to perform in public and must hide her true identity — ironically, just like a superhero.
Indian-American singer and composer Gingger Shankar, who helped write “Rozi,” said of the track in a statement, “The track is done in Urdu, which for a mainstream Marvel series to do is fantastic. I’ve always been a fan of Marvel, but if you had told me five years ago that we would be doing an Urdu hip-hop track with Pakistani and Indian influences for a Pakistani female superhero, I wouldn’t have believed it! ‘Rozi’ is an anthem for women’s empowerment and Eva B delivers. Eva and I worked on it through the pandemic between Los Angeles and Pakistan and are thrilled for folks to see its debut on Ms. Marvel.”
Listen to “Rozi” above and watch Ms. Marvel on Disney Plus.