India, Sept. 13 -- Seven years after making her debut on Hustle, rapper Agsy returns to the music reality show this year as a Squad Boss. In these years in between, she has seen Desi hip hop (DHH) become a larger part of the Indian music conversation. Yet, the growth has not necessarily meant an equal playing field for women. "There is a lot of misogyny in DHH. That is a fact," she says, pointing to the different standards female rappers are subjected to. "Female rappers have to work twice as hard and still not be as respected as the men out there."

For Agsy, the problem is not a lack of female talent, but the expectations. "A male rapper can often be allowed to make mistakes, experiment or take time to find his sound, while a woman can ...