Madras Day | Tracing Tamil rap’s evolution in Chennai
1 year, 6 months ago

Madras Day | Tracing Tamil rap’s evolution in Chennai

The Hindu  

On alternate Sunday evenings, a movement takes over Anna Nagar Tower Park. The city’s interaction with hip hop started in the early 2000s, owing to the proliferation of Malay-Tamil rap by the likes of artistes Yogi B, Natchatra and Psychomantra, but has steadily grown since, despite the pandemic lull, as more independent artistes experiment with the form. From 2019 onwards, with albums like Therukural and singles like ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ garnering global attention, an independent Tamil rap renaissance was cemented. If we started out with a capital of ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 per video, today it stands at ₹10lakh to 15lakh,” says Ken, who along with OfRo also founded Atti Culture, a platform for independent artistes. This team is behind one of Tamil independent music’s most viral songs till date, ‘Jorthaale’ by Asal Kolaar, which has clocked over 50 million views on YouTube.

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History of this topic

Was 2024 the year of India’s regional hip hop movement?
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Was 2024 the year of India’s regional hip hop movement?

The Hindu  

Bandra’s iconic Mehboob Studios bursts at the seams with a largely Hindi-speaking crowd. Paal Dabba and East India Cypher were among over 40 Indian rappers, across languages, that took to stage recently at Spotify’s Rap91 concert in Mumbai, a testament to the country’s fast evolving regional hip hop movement. While Hindi and Punjabi tightly held the bastion in the breakout …

How Tamil women rappers are changing the indie hip hop scene
10 months ago

How Tamil women rappers are changing the indie hip hop scene

The Hindu  

The frame is delightfully whimsical. Mrs Go and Debbie Pari, two independent Tamil women rappers, sit on an ornate throne as the beat quickly builds up. The quirky video shows Mrs Go, her toddler in tow, spitting bars in a pristine white saree: “Chinna sirupazhagi/ iduppu karuppu nerathazhagi/ echil mutham kodutha thai-ku nan per azhagi”, she raps. “Only after we …

I am proudly made of Chennai, says musician Devan Ekambaram
1 year, 6 months ago

I am proudly made of Chennai, says musician Devan Ekambaram

The Hindu  

Devan Ekambaram, music artist Your fondest memory of Chennai I saw Chennai first in 1991. The music scene in Chennai is always vibing. In the last 5 to 10 years, Chennai’s independent music scene has exploded. Define Chennai in one punchline More than a punchline, the line from the song Sorgame endralum fits aptly to Chennai.

Made of Chennai | Celebrate Madras through rare photos, music, culture and food
1 year, 6 months ago

Made of Chennai | Celebrate Madras through rare photos, music, culture and food

The Hindu  

The Hindu Archival Exhibit The year is 1949. The Hindu Festival of Chennai is held in partnership with Greater Chennai Corporation Radio partner: Radio city. In this festival held in partnership with CMRL, On the Streets of Chennai and Radio City, bands like Mayavisai, Martin & Team, Gurupathi & Gang, The Unusuals, Kooda Senthu Kathu, raids, Consonance and Maple Diaries. …

‘Chennai is blessed with diverse music’
1 year, 6 months ago

‘Chennai is blessed with diverse music’

The Hindu  

Your fondest memory of Chennai? I think it was around 1977 and I used to take multiple buses from R.A. Puram to get to school inside IIT-Madras. In R.A. Puram where I lived or Mylapore, there’s Carnatic music, north Madras has gaana, Kodambakkam has a whole bunch of musicians from all over India coming down for film music, and old …

How independent hip-hop music is taking off in South India
4 years, 3 months ago

How independent hip-hop music is taking off in South India

The Hindu  

Boom boom shaka laka boom boom shak! Arivarasu Kalainesan, who is among the leading rappers in Tamil Nadu, says, “That was the first time a lot of us even heard the word ‘rap’.” Even a decade ago, rap in South India was rare. Though we are talking about the genre’s evolution in one part of the country, it is difficult …

Tamil poetry on Madras: A new series by historian Sriram V
4 years, 7 months ago

Tamil poetry on Madras: A new series by historian Sriram V

The Hindu  

The East and North Mada Streets of Mylapore weep in jealousy; for they do not have a chathiram as magnificent as Vyasarpadi Vinayaka Mudaliyar Chathiram: goes a verse written by scholar Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai. Historian Sriram V mentions this over phone during a conversation about Poetry on Chennai, a new series he has recently started on his blog. “There are …

Tracing how music is still a big commercial pull in Tamil cinema, with films like Asuran, Comali benefiting from hit songs
5 years, 1 month ago

Tracing how music is still a big commercial pull in Tamil cinema, with films like Asuran, Comali benefiting from hit songs

Firstpost  

2020 is here but even now, hit songs are mandatory in Tamil cinema. The trade always cites hit songs as the pivotal factor for the huge opening of Vijay’s films. A few say even without Vijay’s involvement, composers have now started giving hit songs to him, considering his impeccable dance moves and the track record of his previous albums. Forget …

Times are changing for Chennai’s independent musicians
6 years, 8 months ago

Times are changing for Chennai’s independent musicians

The Hindu  

Metal, hard rock, EDM, blues, gaana. “In the past 15 years, the scene has changed at least three-four times,” says music producer Tenma, the man behind Madras Medai, The Casteless Collective and Kurangan, the game-changing band that’s now dissolved. We were still listening to songs in cassette tapes back then, and different parts of the city had their own scenes: …

When hip hop met gaana for Rajinikanth’s ‘Kaala’
6 years, 11 months ago

When hip hop met gaana for Rajinikanth’s ‘Kaala’

The Hindu  

Tony Sebastian clearly remembers the day his band was called for an audition in Mumbai. Ranjith sir explained to us that the film’s subject revolved around the Tamil diaspora in the Dharavi slum in Mumbai. Their videos, which blend hip hop music with street dance moves, such as ‘ Legalise It’, has over a lakh views on YouTube. All of …

The ‘Other’ Film Industry: Tamil Cinema is Rising Like a Phoenix
9 years, 7 months ago

The ‘Other’ Film Industry: Tamil Cinema is Rising Like a Phoenix

The Quint  

Riding the Local Trend – Unafraid, Unabashed The new trend in Tamil cinema, though, does not have to do with one or two men, but a crop of young directors who are willing to take risks with their stories, and producers who are willing to hedge their bets on unproven talent. Yes, a Rajinikanth or Vijay or Ajith film will …

Dear SRK, Tamil films are way beyond your lungi dance
11 years, 7 months ago

Dear SRK, Tamil films are way beyond your lungi dance

Firstpost  

In Tamil mainstream cinema DSLR-inspired low-budget new generation movies stand out and have created a completely new experience that resonates with the stand-out indies from the rest of the world. But in Tamil mainstream cinema, they stand out and have created a completely new experience that resonates with the stand-out indies from the rest of the world. Analysing the “new …

Bitten by the Tamil movie bug
13 years, 9 months ago

Bitten by the Tamil movie bug

Firstpost  

There must be at least some folks in the Hindi movie industry watching the goings on down South and taking note, as there have been more and more influences trickling upwards toward Mumbai. Yes, Chennai too, because only a few years after the Hindi movie bug bit me, my local Indian cinema in New York had one special weekend screening …

Fascinating fusion
14 years, 1 month ago

Fascinating fusion

The Hindu  

Startled by the chirping of a cricket, music director Bobo Sashi instructed his driver to look for the insect in the car. How it began It all began on February 15, 2010, when professional hip hop artiste Adhi Wattabottles founded Hiphop Tamizha, encouraged by Yogi B and music director Bobo Sashi. On its first anniversary next week, it will release …

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