Kerala's Rap Scene: Evolution to Revolution

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"When I began my career, there were no famous Malayali rappers, only Malayalis who rapped in English. My journey into Malayalam rap began as a creative experiment. Initially, I faced criticism and was told that my work wasn't real music," says Fejo, a Malayali rapper who began his career before YouTube emerged as a major platform. 

He has been recognised for his thought-provoking lyrics and for addressing socio-political issues through his music. The art of rap goes beyond simply lyrics. It is a sophisticated genre that uses literary devices like simile, metaphor and alliteration just like poetry. 

"Rap has its roots in our culture with Kunchan Nambiar being a pioneer. Ottamthullal, a traditional art form blends rap and song elements while 'Pattu Parachil', 'Chollukal' and 'Kavitha Parayanam' are early forms of Malayalam rap. 'Mappila pattu', which emerged under Arabic influence also contains rap elements," Fejo said, highlighting the cultural heritage of Malayalam rap in the traditional art forms. 

Rap wasn't something entirely borrowed from the Western world. It has its roots in our native soil as well. As the Internet became more accessible, people began to listen and explore new genres like rap music. However, Malayalam rap found mass acceptance many years later. 

In 2018, ThirumaLi's 'Malayali Da' rap song broke into mainstream and earned wide spread acceptance. The public embraced Vedan's politically charged lyrics signifying a shift in mainstream acceptance. 

With the rise of new raps, the genre experienced a turning point becoming increasingly accepted and enjoyed by public. 

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"As rap music emerged in Malayalam, artists began to merge their cultural heritage into the music blending traditional instruments like Chenda, Nadaswaram and flute into their music," ThirumaLi says. 

In Malayalam rap scene, artists are not imitating a genre that came from Western World. Instead, they are infusing it with their own distinctive style, culture and creativity to make a new original compositions. 

According to ThirumaLi -- through its lyrics -- rap enables direct communication with the audience, allowing artists to express themselves in various ways. 

"Through rap Vedan addresses politics while I share life stories based raps. Rap can be used in different ways," he adds.

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Rappers, who once operated outside the mainstream, are now collaborating with top composers in the Malayalam film industry. 

'Kuthanthram' song from the movie 'Manjummel Boys' is an example of rap-composer collaboration. 

Vedan's rap 'Kuthanthram' composed by Sushin Shyam became a massive hit on YouTube with 16 million views. 

With 97 million views on YouTube, 'Manavaalan Thug', the promo song from the movie 'Thallumaala' performed by rapper Dabzee featuring rapper SA, became a viral sensation. His songs 'Olam Up' and 'Mada Trance' were also featured in the movies. 

Rapper Fejo's popular tracks in film include songs like 'Thalayude Vilayattu' from 'Aarattu', 'Aparaada Panka' from 'Maradona' and 'Ayudhameduda' from 'Ranam'.

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Neeraj Madhav AKA NJ is a Malayalam actor who is exploring his career in hip-hop music, has also contributed his songs into movies. His 'Scene Mone' from 'RDX' has got millions of views on YouTube.  

Another Malayali rapper MC Couper penned lyrics for the song 'Anjaalum Pathaalum' featured in the movie 'Purusha Pretham'.

The song 'Kireedam' for the movie 'Nadikar' was both written and performed by MC Couper. 

Featuring rap songs in movies is a contemporary trend. 

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"Growing up in Ponnani, a costal town, I have used Malabar's district linguistic and musical flavours into my work. I came from a place with a rich musical inheritance comprising Tabla, Harmonium, Duffmuttu, Kawali, folk songs and devotional songs and it is truly international," says Dabzee who proudly reps Malabar and whose songs highlight the unique dialect of Malabar. 

Rap music is embracing regional flavors and dialects. Dabzee's greatest inspiration to create art comes from his home land rather than a person. 

"The industry is upgraded a lot and it is also evolving and influencing public and next generation. For getting acceptance to an art is such a blessing," he adds proudly. Dabzee now plans to launch a recording label in Dubai, highlighting artists around the world including Malayalam hip-hop artists. 

A promising future awaits for Malayalam rap music with a lot of new generation artists ready to take the stage and embrace their roots and express their opinions.