Malayalam hip hop

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Malayalam hip hop is a genre of popular music developed in Kerala starting in around 2004. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

Overview

Street Academics were the first ever hip hop band to be established in 2009, in Malayalam hip hop. They started with freestyling. [3]

The Ocha Music Festival held in Bolgatty Palace in 2024 Ocha Festival.png
The Ocha Music Festival held in Bolgatty Palace in 2024

Malayalam hip hop was initially introduced widespread by FEJO and ThirumaLi during the 2018 to 2019 period, they played significant role in introducing the genre among the Malayali community. FEJO's first debut release in 2018 "Vere Level" and ThirumaLi's first debut hit "Malayali Da," in 2019, marked the onset of Malayalam rap. [4] [5] [6]

In 2023, Mass Appeal India initiated a scouting program in the South Indian market to sign Malayalam hip-hop artists. Later, Spotify officially announced that Malayalam music consumption has increased, with a significant portion attributed to Malayalam hip-hop. [7] During the period, The Spotify has noticed several releases by Malayalam hip hop artists featured in the Global and Hip hop Charts. [8]

A hip-hop music festival called "Ocha Music Festival", was introduced in 2023. It is currently one of the leading hip-hop music festivals in Kerala. It is usually held in the Bolgatty Palace Arena in Kochi. [9] [10]

In 2024, The hip hop artist Dabzee significantly gained fame, producing and singing for Malayalam movies. [11] He is the first ever artist from Kerala to perform at Earth Soul in Coco-Cola Arena [12]

Major artists

List of established artists in Malayalam hip hop genre .

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayalam cinema</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harish Uthaman</span> Indian actor

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jaimt</span> Musical artist

Sanju Jaison, better known by his stage name San Jaimt, is an Indian rapper, songwriter and a music producer. He has worked in Malayalam cinema projects and is one of the early rappers to come out of Kerala. He is known for his independent singles "We're Sorry" (2013),"Thee" (2018),"Win" (2017), "These Wings" (2017) and "Walk Alone(2017)"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Nigam</span> Indian film actor

Shane Nigam is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. Having made his debut in a credited role with the 2013 road film Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (2013), he went to receive wider attention for his performances in various successful drama films Kismath (2016), Parava (2017), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), Ishq (2019), Bhoothakaalam (2022), and RDX: Robert Dony Xavier (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street Academics</span> Musical artist

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Febin Joseph better known by his stage name Fejo, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala who started his solo career professionally in 2009. Rapping in Malayalam, Fejo has worked with music composers including Raftaar, Sushin Shyam, Jakes Bejoy, Rahul Raj, Girish Nakod. He is considered one of the pioneers of Malayalam Rap, noted for his socio political themes & commercially performing tracks.

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Seedhe Maut is a hip hop duo from New Delhi, India, consisting of Siddhant Sharma and Abhijay Negi. The two met at Spit Dope Inc., a Delhi underground battle rap league organised by MC Kode and Encore ABJ. They released their first track, Seedhe Maut Anthem in May 2017, followed by their debut mixtape 2 Ka Pahada. In 2017, they signed to the independent music label Azadi Records. In 2024, they founded their own label, DL91.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThirumaLi</span> Indian rapper and songwriter (born 1995)

Vishnu M S,, better known by his stage name ThirumaLi, is Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala who started making music in 2013, and rose to a professional solo career in 2018 pioneering the Malayalam Rap genre. He is best known for his singles, "Naadan Vibe", "Malayali Da", "Sambar", "Avastha" and "Naade Naattaare ". He is widely recognized for his Malayalam rap songs that showcase profound lyrics and narratives behind each track.

Hirandas Murali, better known by his stage name Vedan, is an Indian rapper and songwriter from Kerala.

Mohammed Fasil,, known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song "Manavaalan Thug" from the movie Thallumaala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass Appeal India</span> Indian record label

Mass Appeal India is an Indian record label. It is a subsidiary hip hop label of the parent American Mass Appeal Records. The label had partnered with The Orchard for music distribution.

Sooraj Cherukat, known professionally as Hanumankind, is an Indian rapper based in Bengaluru. He released his first single "Daily Dose" from his debut EP Kalari in 2019. He received mainstream popularity in India and internationally with his track "Big Dawgs", which features the Hyderabad-based artist and producer Kalmi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Dawgs</span> 2024 single by Hanumankind

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References

  1. "Malayalam music's massive growth: What's driving this phenomenal rise?". The Week. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  2. "Outta da hoods". newindianexpress. 2023.
  3. "Bengaluru: Kerala band forced off stage after unruly pub-goers object to singing in Malayalam". Indian Express. 2019.
  4. "Catch Up With ThirumaLi, The Malayali Rapper Who's Here To Stay And Slay". PinkLungi. 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  5. "Fejo: Knowing that rappers in other languages too face the same struggles was inspiring". timesofindia. 2019.
  6. "Rap finally finds its rhythm in Mollywood". The Times of India. 2018-09-01. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  7. "Malayalam music's massive growth: What's driving this phenomenal rise?". The Week. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  8. Priya, Akchayaa Rajkumar,Lakshmi (2024-03-14). "Spotify says Malayalam music consumption grew by 5300% in 5 years: Here's why". The News Minute. Retrieved 2024-05-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. B, Parvana K. (2024-01-30). "Ready to groove @ Kerala's biggest beach music fest?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  10. Service, Express News (2024-05-16). "Kerala's hip-hop scene to get loud at Ocha music festival". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  11. "'Manavaalan Thug' was meant for my album: Indie artist Dabzee". newindianexpress. 2023.
  12. "earthsoulfestival" . Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  13. Prasanna, Likhitha (2022-03-12). "Coup d'état". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  14. Menon, Anasuya (2020-07-02). "Malayalam rapper Vedan's songs of the hunted". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  15. "Breaking: Southern India's Fierce Rapper Baby Jean Signs Exclusive Record Deal With Mass Appeal India - Culture Haze". 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  16. Khan, Mikhail (2022-08-24). "PARIMAL SHAIS: Inside The Mind Of Southsides' Resident Bass Dropping Alien". Homegrown. Retrieved 2024-05-31.