Kerala hip hop
Kerala hip hop is a genre of popular music developed in Kerala starting in 2000. The term has also come to be used as an alternative for rap music, and even pop music, which involves rappers of South Asian origins.[1]
Overview[edit]
Established in 2009, Street Academics has evolved into a cohesive six-member crew, comprising Dr. Haris Saleem (Maapla), Amjad Nadeem (Azuran), Abhimanyu Raman (Earthgrime), Vivek Radhakrishnan (V3K), and Arjjun (Imbachi).[2]
Febin Joseph, known by his stage name Fejo, is an Indian rapper and songwriter hailing from Kerala who embarked on his solo career in 2009.[3]
Sooraj Cherukut, aka HanuManKind, a Kerala native who grew up in Texas, made his debut in Pune’s live scene with NH7 Weekender.[4][5][6][citation needed] HanuManKind moved to Bengaluru in 2015, and he won the Mic Drop Tournament in 2017.[7][citation needed]
In the 2020s, the rapper Vedan, whose stage name derives from the term for "hunter", covered themes of oppression, casteism, religious divides, exploitation, justice, and betrayal in his songs.[8]
M.C. Couper is another rapper performing in the Malayalam language who emerged in the 2020s.[9]
Dabzee, who was signed to the Indian extension of Nas’s Mass Appeal label, gained recognition with the release of the popular song "Manavaalan Thug" from the album "Thallumaala”.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Outta da hoods". newindianexpress. 2023.
- ^ "Bengaluru: Kerala band forced off stage after unruly pub-goers object to singing in Malayalam". Indian Express. 2019.
- ^ "Fejo: Knowing that rappers in other languages too face the same struggles was inspiring". timesofindia. 2019.
- ^ "South Indian rapper Hanumankind enthralls the audience at Hills Festival". themeghalayan. 2022.
- ^ "In tune with tragedy: Rapper Hanumankind's new composition 'Second Wave' is a wake-up call". thenewindianexpress. 2021.
- ^ "The South Anthem: Netflix's funky music tribute to south India's unity in diversity". theindianexpress. 2021.
- ^ "Watch: Netflix's new song 'Namma Stories' features Arivu, Neeraj Madhav and others". theindianexpress. 2021.
- ^ "Vedan is a huge hit at Kochi Music Foundation hip hop festival". timesofindia. 2021.
- ^ "Coup d'état". newindianexpress. 2022.
- ^ "'Manavaalan Thug' was meant for my album: Indie artist Dabzee". newindianexpress. 2023.