Sooraj Cherukat (born 17 October 1992),[1][2] known professionally as Hanumankind, is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor from Kerala, India.[3][4] He released his first single "Daily Dose" from his debut EP Kalari in 2019.[5] He received mainstream popularity in India and internationally with his track "Big Dawgs", which features the Hyderabad-based artist and producer Kalmi and American rapper ASAP Rocky on its remix. He acted in the 2024 Malayalam film, Rifle Club, directed by Aashiq Abu.
Sooraj Cherukat was born in 1992, in Malappuram, Kerala, India.[6][2] His father works for a leading oil company, as a result he moved around a lot.[7][8] As a child, Cherukat lived in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Egypt, Qatar, and Italy before settling down in Houston, Texas when he was in second grade.[7][9][6] He attended Houston Community College.[10] In 2012, he returned to India enrolling at PSG College in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to pursue a degree in business administration.[7][2] He worked at Goldman Sachs in 2014, and also as a personal trainer.[11][8]
Cherukat began his career as a professional rapper by performing at NH7 Weekender, which is held in multiple cities and releasing his debut EP Kalari, in 2019.[12] The name Hanumankind is a portmanteau of the Hindu deity Hanuman and "mankind".[11] He initially collabed with Charan Raj and Sanjith Hegde for the song "Maadeva" featuring on the Kannada movie Popcorn Monkey Tiger.[13] His song "The Last Dance" is featured on the official soundtrack for the Malayalam-language film Aavesham.[14]
He gained widespread recognition both with the release of the single and its music video "Big Dawgs", featuring Kalmi, in July 2024.[15][16] The accompanying music video directed by Bijoy Shetty, features Cherukat performing in a classic carnival attraction with motorcycles known as the well of death. The video was shot in Ponnani, his hometown district in Kerala state in India.[17][11] He acted in the 2024 Malayalam film, Rifle Club, directed by Aashiq Abu.[18] In 2025, he released his song "Run It Up", which features chenda drums in its instrumental,[19][20] and performed the song at Netflix's 2025 Tudum event.[21] He performed the single "Holiday" on the Colors Show[22] and headlined the "OTW Tour" in support of his debut mixtape, Monsoon Season, in the summer of 2025.[23] Monsoon Season released on July 25, 2025, featuring guest appearances from Denzel Curry, Roisee, ASAP Rocky, Rudy Mukta and Maxo Kream and production from longtime collaborators Parimal Shais and Kalmi.[24] On November 22, 2025, Cherukat will make his second appearance at Rolling Loud, but it will be in his home country, India, where he will be performing alongside other notable names within the music scene and industry, it will also be his first headlining Rolling Loud performance.[25]
While living in Houston, Cherukat was exposed to Southern hip hop and listened to artists like Chamillionaire, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, UGK, and DJ Screw. He is also a fan of System of a Down.[11] His musical style is significantly influenced by Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Logic.[11]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Monsoon Season[26] |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Kalari[27] |
|
| Surface Level[28] |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IND [29] |
AUS [30] |
CAN [31] |
GER [32] |
IRE [33] |
NZ [34] |
SWI [35] |
UK [36] |
US [37] |
WW [38] | ||||
| "Daily Dose"[27] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Kalari | |
| "S.L.A.B"[27] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Options"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Beer and Biryani"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Genghis"[27] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Damnson"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Skyline"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Lola's Chant" (with Kalmi)[27] |
2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Third Eye Freeverse (Red Bull 64 Bars)"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Go To Sleep"[27] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Ayyayyo"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Big Dawgs" (with Kalmi, remixed by ASAP Rocky)[27] |
2024 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 30 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 23 | 9 | Monsoon Season | |
| "Run It Up" (with Kalmi)[27] |
2025 | — | — | — | — | — | —[A] | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Holiday"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Villainous Freestyle"[27][26] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| Year | Film | Song | Composer(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Popcorn Monkey Tiger | "Maadeva" | Charan Raj | [13] | |
| 2024 | Aavesham | "The Last Dance" | Sushin Shyam | [43] | |
| 2024 | Squid Game | "The Game Don't Stop" | Netflix | [21] |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Por | Student | Tamil | Guest appearance | |
| Rifle Club | Bheera Bare | Malayalam | [18] |
