Street Academics

Last updated
Street Academics
Street Academics at The Humming Tree.jpg
Street Academics at The Humming Tree, Bangalore 2017
Background information
Origin Kerala, India
Genres Alternative hip-hop
Instrument(s)Vocals, Sampler, Drum machine, Synthesizer, Turntables.
Years active2009–present

Street Academics is an Indian alternative hip-hop group from Kerala, known for their songs blending malayalam, english and tamil lyrics. The collective of rappers based out of various districts from their home state are noted for emphasizing on contemporary and philosophical themes ranging from social realism to dystopian fantasy. [1] [2] [3] [4] They collaborate with projects like Mappila Lahala and Palakkadan Dystopia, to release songs that focus on having cultural discussions set in avant-garde backdrops. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

History

Street Academics was an idea brought forward by Rjv Ernesto in 1999, as a small group for spoken word poetry and making pause tapes. [9] Later he was introduced to Haris Saleem through hip-hop communities in Myspace and Orkut. After recording various demo tracks, they brought in Amjad Nadeem, Abhimanyu Raman and Pranav to move forward as a hip-hop collective in 2009. Keyboardist & music producer Ruthin Thej worked with the group to produce a couple of singles, before leaving to pursue his career as keyboardist for Thaikkudam Bridge. Later Vivek Radhakrishnan joined the group as the DJ/producer providing a bass-oriented sound. They started collaborating with the cultural music collective Mappila Lahala, led by filmmaker Muhsin Parari, to release politically oriented singles which featured veteran actor Mamukkoya and national award-winning composer Bijibal. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] The group has also formed avant garde hip-hop project Palakkadan Dystopia to release singles and went on to collaborate with experimental theatre acts, performing shows which combined spoken word, theatre, hip-hop music & graffiti. [5] [17] After working on singles and compilations over the years, the group released a complete multilingual album titled "Loop" loosely based on seven deadly sins. [18] [19] [20]

On July 13, 2019, a live performance of Street Academics along with Bandish Projekt and Swadesi, was interrupted by a group of people who demanded the venue officials to play Kannada songs, instead of the group's original Malayalam tracks, as they were in Bengaluru. The group's set was cut short and forced off stage. After the performance, rapper/vocalist Amjad and few of his friends were taken away by the police, allegedly for causing public nuisance. Venue management later released a public statement, apologizing to Street Academics regarding the incident. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] The group released a protest song titled "Hara Hara" along with a music video, and performed it live during Citizenship Amendment Act protests at Kozhikode. [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

Themes and influences

Members state that they started off through slam poetry before getting introduced to hip-hop music. [32] Rjv Ernesto cites spoken word poetry and sports/pro-wrestling commentary as his influence in rap music. Developing an interest towards drum solos, he recalls creating beats by cutting out bits of tape from cassettes using a razor blade and glueing them back before inserting the tape into the cartridge. [11] [33] The group's multilingual lyricism usually brings up questions of expression & identity, affirming the place of vernacular rap in India, being one of the first acts to do so. [4] [34] [35] [36] [37] Street Academics is considered to be one of the oldest independent hip-hop outfits in India. [38] [39] [40] They are noted for pioneering Malayalam rap with serious content & multisyllabic rhyme patterns, against the comical parody image that rap/hip-hop music has had in their region. Even though the production relies on minimal boom bap oriented sampling as the backbone, the collective effort exhibits influences of musique concrète, lo-fi, glitch, folk, ambient, R&B, jazz poetry, grime and funk. [41] [42] [43] [44] Most of the themes are set in an alternate reality or a post-apocalyptic world, often presented from the narrative mode of various alter egos. It is noted that majority of those plots are inter-connected & follow a particular nonlinear storyline throughout the body of their work. [5] [45] [46] [7] [47] [48] The "Dead Crow" symbolism goes hand in hand with their journey and has pretty much established itself as a mascot for Street Academics over time. [49] The group's singles Vandi Puncture and Native Bapa, both released in 2012, are often held responsible for taking Malayalam hip-hop music to mainstream. [9] [50]

Members

Former Members:-

Discography

Albums:-

Remix Albums:-

Film Soundtracks:-

Singles:-

Collaboration Albums:-

Mixtapes/Solo Albums:-

Related Research Articles

Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South Korean popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayalis</span> Ethnic group

The Malayali people are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala & Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They form the majority of the population in Kerala and Lakshadweep. They are predominantly native speakers of the Malayalam language, one of the eleven classical languages of India. The state of Kerala was created in 1956 through the States Reorganisation Act. Prior to that, since the 1800s existed the Kingdom of Travancore, the Kingdom of Cochin, Malabar District, and South Canara of the British India. The Malabar District was annexed by the British through the Third Mysore War (1790–92) from Tipu Sultan. Before that, the Malabar District was under various kingdoms including the Zamorins of Calicut, Kingdom of Tanur, Arakkal kingdom, Kolathunadu, Valluvanad, and Palakkad Rajas.

Indian hip hop is a genre of popular music developed in India. Desi hip hop is a term given by Bohemia for music and culture which combines the influences of hip hop and the Indian subcontinent; the term desi referring to the South Asian diaspora. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabi Malayalam</span> Dialect of Malayalam used by Mappila Muslims

Arabi Malayalam is the traditional Dravidian language of the Mappila Muslim community. It is spoken by several thousand people, predominantly in the Malabar Coast of Kerala state, southern India. The form can be classified as a regional dialect in northern Kerala, or as a class or occupational dialect of the Mappila community. It can also be called a vernacular in general, or as a provincial patois, with the latter label being increasingly applicable in Colonial times. All the forms of the Malayalam language, including Mappila, are mutually intelligible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaughterhouse (group)</span> American hip hop group

Slaughterhouse were an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Kxng Crooked, and Royce da 5'9". They released their eponymous debut studio album independently in 2009, and signed to Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release it's follow up, Welcome to: Our House in 2012. The group disbanded in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladeshi hip-hop</span> Genre of music in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi hip hop is a genre of music and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music developed in Bangladesh. It is heavily influenced by American hip hop, and started in the early 1990s. In recent years, artists have used lyrical expressions for cultural identity, with lyrics addressing Bangladesh's political and social problems, lifestyles, nature, cultures, and communities. Hip hop in today's era has earn great impact in Bangladesh.

Desi hip hop is a term for music and culture which combines the influences of hip hop and the Indian subcontinent; the term desi referring to the South Asian diaspora. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapsody</span> American rapper from North Carolina

Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.

Dionte Hunter, better known by his stage name Chuuwee is an American hip hop artist from Sacramento, California. Chuuwee spent many years of his life moving around as a child. He lived in nearly every neighborhood of Sacramento, CA before moving to San Antonio in middle school.

<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">Brodha V</span> Indian rapper (born 1990)

Vighnesh Shivanand, better known by his stage name Brodha V, is an Indian hip-hop artist, lyricist, rapper and music producer. Born in Kanchipuram, the Bengaluru-based artist started rapping at the age of 18 and took part in online rap battles on Orkut. As an independent artist, Brodha V released a mixtape called Deathpunch which had a limited release and which garnered him some attention from the hip hop fraternity and the independent music circuit in Southern India.

Gqom, gqom tech, sgubhu, 3-step or G.Q.O.M) is an African electronic dance music genre and subgenre of house music, that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered and innovated by music producers Naked Boyz, Rudeboyz, Sbucardo, Griffit Vigo, Nasty Boyz, DJ Lag, Menzi Shabane, Distruction Boyz and Citizen Boy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRSNA (rapper)</span> Indian rapper

Krishna Kaul, known mononymously as Krishna, stylised now as KR$NA, is an Indian rapper. He was one of the earliest rappers to emerge in the Indian hip hop scene in the mid-2000s under the stage name Prozpekt. He is widely acknowledged within the Desi Hip Hop community for pioneering a lyrical revolution in the genre, infusing a new wave of poetic depth and lyrical complexity into hip hop's narrative. He was also briefly featured in the 2019 Bollywood film Gully Boy as himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartel Madras</span> Canadian hip hop duo

Cartel Madras is a Canadian hip hop duo from Calgary, Alberta, consisting of sisters Bhagya "Eboshi" Ramesh and Priya "Contra" Ramesh. They characterize their music as "Goonda Rap" and began their career uploading songs to SoundCloud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gully rap</span> Genre of hip-hop music

Gully rap is an emerging genre of hip-hop music that originated from Mumbai. It has since spread across India. Inspired by American rappers like Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and Nas the music discusses the street life in distinct Hindu-Urdu rhythm and cadence. Gully means "narrow lane" in Hindi. DIVINE and Naezy are artists that are considered at the forefront of the genre. It stands in contrast to mainstream desi rap or Bollywood which focus on more superficial aspects of life. By contrast, gully rap has a socio-political emphasis.

<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.

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

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.

References

  1. ↑ Mathew, Mathew Joy (2016-10-16). "This gang of five will 'rap-spire' you". New Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  2. ↑ Chandy, Susanna (2014-07-11). "Hip Hop goes 'South' with our rappers". New Indian Express Indulge. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  3. ↑ "Radio City's Indie Revolution Enthralls Bangalore with 'Radio City Freedom Awards 5.0'". The Retail Times. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  4. 1 2 Jovial, Nirmal (2020-09-06). "Up Beat". The Week. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  5. 1 2 3 Abhishek, Abhishek (2018-05-18). "Decoding desi Hip-Hop: Street Academics". MusicPlus. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  6. ↑ Gujubhai, IQ (2013-01-16). "Hip Hop in Kerala! "Native Bapa" by Mappila Lahala". DesiHiphop. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  7. 1 2 K, Anjana (2017-11-21). "Street art goes on to a whole new level with Kalapila from Street Academics". WtzupCity. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  8. ↑ Magan, Srishti (2019-01-09). "21 Fire Indian Rappers You Should Know About Beyond Gully Boy". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  9. 1 2 Karunakaran, Binu (2020-06-25). "How Malayalam rap broke out of the margins". Times of India. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  10. ↑ MG, Gokul (2019-04-03). "Rapper's delight". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  11. 1 2 Suhasini, Lalitha (2019-08-09). "Sounds from Malabar". Pune Mirror India Times. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  12. ↑ "Know Your Band - Street Academics". Radio City. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  13. ↑ Menon, Bindu (2014-07-06). "Modern Media & Kerala's Rap Music". Navamalayali. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  14. ↑ Basith, Abdul (2013-01-07). "Native Bapa: A hip-hop song from Kerala challenges narrative on terrorism". TwoCircles. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  15. ↑ M, Rajeev (2024-06-19). "റെക്കോഡ് പ്ലെയറിന്റെ സൂചി ആയുധമാക്കിയ സംഗീതലോകത്തെ ആന്റി-ഹീറോ". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  16. ↑ Bhatt, Shephali (2024-09-07). "Hip-Hop Stars from Kerala: How Malayalam rappers create a remarkable sound that is both familiar and inventive". Economic Times. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  17. ↑ T, Sreejith (2014-10-25). "An Insolence Combining Graffiti, Hip-hop & DJ". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  18. ↑ "Kerala-based band 'Street Academics' raps on seven deadly sins". New Indian Express. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  19. ↑ Joy, Jose (2019-07-12). "Street Academics: tracing the evolution of Malayalam hip-hop music". New Indian Express Indulge. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  20. ↑ Dings, Dhinoj (2020-01-05). "Street Academics' 'Loop' is a Malayalam hip hop album worthy of adoration". Medium. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  21. ↑ "Stopped for singing in Malayalam? Hip-hop band protests shoddy treatment in B'luru pub". The News Minute. 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  22. ↑ Praveen, S.R. (2019-07-15). "Bengaluru organisers pull the plug on Kerala band". The Hindu. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  23. ↑ "Bengaluru: Music Performance Cut Short Over Language Row". Times of India. 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  24. ↑ Tagat, Anurag (2019-07-15). "Kerala Hip-Hop Group Street Academics Forced Off Stage at Bengaluru Venue". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  25. ↑ S, Joy (2019-07-15). "Malayalam hip-hop act Street Academics is forced off stage". New indian Express Indulge. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  26. ↑ Murthi, Rajrishi (2019-07-15). "Kerala-Based Hip-Hop Crew Street Academics Forced Off Stage In Bengaluru For Singing In Malayalam". Bangin Beats. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  27. ↑ Praveen, S.R. (2019-12-30). "Hard-hitting music adds fuel to anti-citizenship Act protests". The Hindu. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  28. ↑ "Kerala music bands bring out songs to protest against CAA and NRC". The News Minute. 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  29. ↑ K.M., Rakesh (2020-01-03). "Music of protest rises in Kerala". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  30. ↑ Kaav, Sweety (2020-01-06). "The two music bands of Kerala protest against CAA: Street Academics, The Down Troddence". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  31. ↑ Satvika Kundu, Amaan Khan (2020-01-10). "Voice Of The People: Protest Music In India". Wild City. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  32. ↑ Chandy, Susanna (2014-07-11). "Hip Hop goes 'South' with our rappers". New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  33. ↑ Varier, Soumya (2020-12-23). "Hip Hop And The Kerala Connect: How A New Breed Of Rappers Is Using The Genre To Speak Of Our Reality". Film Companion. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  34. ↑ "Straight Outta Mumbai". BBC (Podcast). BBC. 28 March 2018. Event occurs at 08:20. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  35. ↑ Kapur, Uday (2019-03-03). "The power of language in Indian hip-hop". Sole DXB. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  36. ↑ Menon, Bindu (2014-02-19). "The Blazon Call Of HipHop - Lyrical Storms In Kerala's Music Culture". Sage Publications. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  37. ↑ "Street Academics: Haris Saleem". Deccan Chronicle. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  38. ↑ "Know Your Band - Street Academics". Radio City. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  39. ↑ Balram, Dhruva (2018-11-12). "The Commodification Of Hip-Hop In India: A Discussion". Border Movement. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  40. ↑ Joy, Jose (2019-04-26). "Street Academics releases song video for Sky with a collaboration". New Indian Express. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  41. ↑ Joy, Jose (2019-07-12). "Street Academics: tracing the evolution of Malayalam hip-hop music". New Indian Express Indulge. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  42. ↑ Balram, Dhruva (2020-02-22). "10 Indian Rappers You Need to Know". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  43. ↑ Balram, Dhruva (2020-04-29). "Indian Artists are Fighting Theocracy With Music". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  44. ↑ Kavu, Sweety (2023-06-10). "'മലയാളത്തിലെ റാപ് ബാലികേറാമലയെന്ന് കരുതിയ കാലമുണ്ടായിരുന്നു; കപ്പയുടെ സംരംഭം പ്രശംസനീയം'". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  45. ↑ "Know Your Band - Street Academics". Radio City. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  46. ↑ Datta, Sravasti (2018-12-07). "Electrifying beats". The Hindu. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  47. ↑ Justis, Poetik (2017-12-02). "An Ode To The Producers In Indian Hip-Hop". DesiHipHop. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  48. ↑ Justis, Poetik (2019-02-20). "Voices Beyond Gully Boy - The South". DesiHipHop. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  49. ↑ Unnikrishnan, Navaneethakrishnan (2022-05-07). "Uncovering The Genius Of Street Academics". Pink Lungi. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  50. ↑ Muraleedharan, Vishnu (2024-06-02). "Kerala rappers spit bars, break into mainstream with a bang". On Manorama. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  51. ↑ News Song "Vandi Puncture" by Street Academics. Asianet News. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  52. ↑ Chakrabarti, Ajachi (2013-10-16). "What Rhymes with Self-Respect?". Tehelka. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  53. ↑ Gujubhai, IQ (2013-01-31). "Street Academics – "Trapped In Rhymes"". DesiHiphop. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  54. ↑ Bobkat, Enkore (2015-06-15). "Street Academics Return with a Fire Single". Voice Of Tha People. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  55. ↑ Sebastian Edmond, Deepu (2016-06-30). "Distilling Dissent". The Hindu. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  56. ↑ Fernandes, Denver (2017-09-19). "Exclusive: Watch videos from The Clash EP - Edition One". RedBull. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  57. ↑ Fernandes, Denver (2017-11-09). "Exclusive: Stream The Clash EP -Edition One". RedBull. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  58. ↑ Britto, David (2017-11-27). "Hear India's Rap, Rock and Metal Worlds Collide on 'The Clash' Compilation". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  59. ↑ Unnikrishnan, Deepa (2017-12-05). "The Clash - One Of A Kind EP Where Hip Hop Meets Other Genres". DesiHipHop. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  60. ↑ Justis, Poetik (2017-11-09). "Exclusive Interview - Street Academics' "Kalapila" Just Changed The Game". DesiHipHop. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  61. ↑ Srinivasan, Karthik (2017-12-08). "Milliblog Annual Music round-up 2017". Milliblog. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  62. ↑ Kadiyala, Swetha (2020-03-10). "Spinning a sensation". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  63. ↑ Bobkat, Enkore (2015-05-18). "Episode 12 – The VOTP Show (Podcast)". Voice Of Tha People. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.