KOCHI: Kochi has encouraged and absorbed global trends in everything — movies, fashion, food and music. From gazal to metal, every genre of music has had takers in the artsy ‘Queen of Arabian Sea’. In 2019, when few of the state’s cultural influencers came together to form Kochi Music Foundation, they wanted to give a thrust to the Malayali’s music taste. In December 2020, the foundation orchestrated a revolutionary get-together of few of the state’s best artists through Para – a virtual hip-hop festival.
“Music has always stood with humanity. Hip-hop especially, is a genre that has taught the world to speak up and stand up for themselves. When we thought about what lies ahead for Kochi Music Foundation, we felt the need to go beyond what we have, bring in a progressive outlook and celebrate lesser explored genres including hip hop,” says Bijibal, one of the co-founders of KMF.
He adds that two more virtual gigs and a music festival is in the pipeline for the foundation . DJ Shekhar Menon and actor-singer Sreenath Bhasi curated nearly a dozen artists who made Para an unforgettable experience. Watch the performaces on YouTube @ Kochi Music Foundation
Street Academics
The pioneers of South Indian hip-hop chose to open with Azadi - a track that resonates well with their ideologies. “The Indian hip hop scene has been on the rise since the early 2000’s, but it was recently that it came into the limelight. Artists these days can dare to dream of a future where living off music is a possibilty, and that’s progress,” says Imbachi, rapper and MC. Their hits including ‘chatha kaakka’ and ‘pambaram’ found a place in the set. Instagram @streetacademics
Mc Couper
Thiruvananthapuram-bred rapper MC Couper fired few of the most promising verses on Para, with ‘off-season’ and ‘peace treaty’ produced by Kalla Sha and Nerchappattu by Kochi’s own Parimal Shais. “Performing at a recorded gig was stressful, but the organisers went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. It was a great way to come together,” says Couper. Instagram @goddamhunter
Rapkid
Sixteen-year-old Aditi Nair aka Rapkid turned many heads at Para with her unwavering confidence and talent. She’s been a performer since six. “Everyone was really cheerful. We got to meet so many artists, multiple genres in hip hop and what not! I hope I can be a part of more events like Para,” she says.
Instagram: @aditinair_official
Marthyan | Irfana Hameed
Marthyan opened with ‘Sleeve’, one of the best offerings from the Kozhikode-based rapper. “It is not just accomplished artists who got a place in Para. Even emerging faces got to feel the music there, and I think that is beautiful,” he says. For his third song ‘Grip’, Marthyan collaborated with Kodaikanal-based artist Irfana Hameed. “It was my first stage performance. I am really happy to see the influence hip-hop has in the south,” she says. Instagram: @marthyan1 | @irafanahameed
Fejo | Blesslee
Fejo, Blesslee duo opened with one of their career hits ‘Ayudhameduda’. “And to think that prominent figures from the film industry including Aashiq Abu and Sreenath Bhasi are behind this is quite inspiring. We also got to see many talented women rappers,” says Fejo.
Instagram @officialfejo
Vivzy
“I have always loved being able to pendown raw emotions in the simplest form to convey what I feel. Rapping is more of an emotion. You write down your thoughts and it’s yours,” describes Vaishnavi avees aka Vivzy. At Para, she opened with ‘Friends’, produced by theskybeats & 7ink.Instagram: @vivzy.vaish
Vedan
The fierce rapper from ‘Voice of the voiceless’ is familiar to anyone who follows south Indian hip-hop. Vedan’s simplistic delivery complemented by tribal percussion and straight-forward story telling quite easily made him a favourite with the audience. Apart from a couple of originals, the artist also touched upon Tamil folk music, making his performance stand out. Instagram @vedanwithword
Marthyan | Irfana Hameed
Marthyan opened with ‘Sleeve’, one of the best offerings from the Kozhikode-based rapper. “It is not just accomplished artists who got a place in Para. Even emerging faces got to feel the music there, and I think that is beautiful,” he says. For his third song ‘Grip’, Marthyan collaborated with Kodaikanal-based artist Irfana Hameed. “It was my first stage performance. I am really happy to see the influence hip-hop has in the south,” she says. Instagram: @marthyan1 | @irafanahameed
Manushyar
Formed little over six months ago, Manushyar has already created quite the ripple in Kerala’s hip-hop scene. “It was our first stage performance. Para was a great opportunity for artists like us to meet people from the industry and understand what goes on,” says Dabzee, composer, singer, rapper and lyricist with the band that also comprises rapper AbRaw. ‘Oora’, their new single, is scheduled to release soon.
Instagram: manushyar_official
Indulekha Varrier
Playback singer Indulekha Warrier’s entry to the rap scene was quite recent, after her ‘Penn Rap’ went viral earlier this year. Apart from the hit track, she also performed Poymukhangal produced by Edwin Johnson. Indulekha’s debut track was for Jayasurya-starrer ‘Apothicarry’ in 2014.
ABI
Abhijith Gopinadh Pillai aka ABI, a 25-year-old rapper based in Kochi, has been making music since he was 13. “Initially, it was hard to find the confidence, but rap and hip-hop made me the person I am today,” he says. ABI’s first EP Pashupatastra released earlier in 2020.
Instagram: @a.b.i_official
NJ
Actor turned singer-songwriter Neeraj Madhav needs little introduction. Carrying a colourful mic, Neeraj quite easily took the floor with his confidence. He opened with Jungle Speaks produced by Rzee, moving to Ain’t no Gangsta by Arcado, closing with his hit number Panipaali produced by Arcado.