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The Rise and Rise of Tamil Rap
Fuelled by cyphers, cinema, and social media, Tamil rap is more than a moment — it’s a movement.
While independent Tamil rap tracks continue to rule streaming charts nationally, not a week has gone in the recent past where a big-budget Tamil movie hasn’t featured a rapper — be it upcoming or established — on its soundtrack.
From the days when audiences would eagerly await a Blaaze track to feature on an A.R. Rahman album, today, every composer from Anirudh Ravichander to Santhosh Narayanan is eagerly collaborating with the new crop of Tamil rappers. They are taking the genre mainstream, exploring themes ranging from caste and identity to labour struggles and resistance, accompanied by powerful lyrics.
While Arivu’s breakthrough success came with his debut album Therukural (2019), followed by the viral highs of the song “Enjoy Enjaami”, and subsequent tracks in high-profile films (Master, Vettaiyan) — all instrumental in popularising the interest in Tamil rap — the last couple of years have seen several other talents emerge and solidify the demand for the genre among audiences.
Asal Kolaar (Vasanthakumar Bakthavachalam), who found fame with his songs such as “Jorthaale”, “Paiya Dei” and “Champagini”, says, “I definitely want to go more national and then international. Movie songs from India have become popular internationally; now it’s time for independent music and albums to get their due as well. Thanks to social media post-pandemic, we are seeing so many music artistes emerging outside the world of cinema.”
“My first breakout song ‘Jorthaale’ proved to me that I could survive being a full-time musician, giving me the confidence that I could chart a unique path for myself. Even the meaning of my stage name — Asal Kolaar — ‘kolaar’ stands for ‘pathmaker,’” he adds.
Having charted success in the movies as well — Asal Kolaar rapped for “Naan Ready” (from Leo) and the recent chartbuster “Monica” (from Coolie) — he says that “Paiya Dei”, the track that catapulted him to viral fame, was born from the personification of his dreams. “That someone can visualise a path in his mind, put his heart and soul into it, and achieve it in the end. I did not study music, nor did I ever envisage a path in this field until five years ago, so the song is testimony to the fact that anyone can make it with hard work and effort.”
“Of course, more people being exposed to and liking independent Tamil music is for the better; art shouldn’t be gatekept,” remarks music producer, composer and singer-songwriter OfRo (Rohith Abraham).
Responsible for producing several among the hit Tamil rap songs this last decade, OfRo says it is encouraging that albums of most major Tamil films now feature at least one of the rappers or artistes he has worked with earlier. “You can also notice that on Spotify’s Local Pulse charts — seven out of 10 tracks are by the new breed of rappers. Clearly, there’s a young section of the audience consuming this avidly.”
“I have been finding artistes for so many years, and I’ve noticed that the way they enter this profession is drastically changing too. For instance, many of the earlier rappers actually entered the field almost by accident while pursuing other plans. However, take some of the recent success stories, like Paal Dabba (Anish) or kelithee; they have been inspired by others before them and intentionally plan their careers like this,” OfRo explains.
Another change, he points out, is that 10 years ago, independent artistes desired to be identified by composers in cinema and hopefully find their way into the film industry to ‘make it’. “But now, the same musicians are turning down lucrative offers from the movies, because they value the power of expressing themselves and their stories better through their own indie music.”
OfRo is also the co-founder of Atti Culture, which serves as a launchpad for South Indian artistes to create and perform authentic music representing the local spirit. “The idea is to make the underground stuff go mainstream; it is an intersection of music and culture. From folk and rap to hip-hop and devotional, we are continually exploring how far we can push the boundaries.”
Twenty-five-year-old Paal Dabba is another popular name on the charts, with tracks like “Kaathu Mela”, “Galatta” (from Aavesham) and “O Maara” (from Thug Life), all endearing him to fans across the country.
“Content reaches everyone these days, and kids have more artistes to inspire them. The quality of the songs has improved too; in fact, my track became popular outside Tamil Nadu, thanks to the music video which provided great promotion,” says
the youngster.
“Since film music still holds pride of place here, the idea is to use cinema as a tool and medium to reach a wider audience who can recognise me. Then I can tell my own stories better through my music. I don’t take up too many movie projects; only those that can add to my progress as an artiste,” he says, when asked how he balances his time between films and independent projects.
How is this new generation of artistes inspiring and influencing younger talent in Tamil Nadu, especially in North Chennai? For decades, youth from the area have been stereotyped as criminals and delinquents due to pre-existing perceptions. While football served as one of the primary interests for teenagers in the neighbourhood and has helped several of them find purpose and reform, in recent years, the same area is predominantly regarded as a hub for emerging rappers.
“It’s fantastic that so many younger kids are now looking at rap as a viable profession, but they need more training, knowledge and moral support. I try to do whatever I can whenever anyone approaches me for help,” says Asal Kolaar.
Paal Dabba also says that he sees the interest in the art form spike across the city, but more need to commit fully to it and not just see it as a fad. “When I was entering the scene, foreign rappers and the way they sang, the fashion they flaunted, the moves they invented...it would all influence me. After all these decades of only movies and actors setting the tone, people have the current independent music scene as another avenue to seek pop culture inspiration from. But after entering it, only some have the genuine passion to stick to the task; others quit after a few attempts, once the novelty
wears off.”
It’s not just the boys — Tamil Nadu is seeing girls take up rapping as a full-time profession too. “Irrespective of gender, the challenges are the same; if the art is good and consistent, then the artiste will make it,” says Ungal Nachi (Sabreen Salahudeen), who is also associated with the rap community in Kerala, where there are constant ongoing discussions about taking their music global. Some of her songs include “Gomma Podu”, “Dheera” and “Vaanjai”.
A Malayali who was born and raised in Chennai, she says that attending events and cyphers (rap battles) really helped her meet others in the community. “I always end up discovering someone exciting at these cyphers to collaborate with. They are a great avenue to figure out which artiste — be it a male or female voice — would sound better for my song. They happen every month in Chennai, and any independent artiste can showcase their work there. Some perform, while others come to observe,” says Ungal Nachi, whose album Nachi-Yaar comprising 11 tracks, will be out next.
Then there are those like Vengayo (Issac Naveen) who first took to the genre when he was growing up in Mumbai. “Before I moved to Chennai in 2004, I was exposed to rap and dancing at a very young age in Mumbai; the hip-hop dance culture was spreading rampantly, so my friends and I went into it full throttle. I made the jump from dance to music only later.”
His latest single “Chikkama”, directed by his friend Paal Dabba, is nearing two million views on YouTube, but Vengayo insists that his inspiration is always to follow his passion and do it well; the music becoming a success is a by-product. “Since we have spent a lot of time together and are friends, the collaborations between us happen very organically. There are no expectations or agenda; we don’t go into the track looking at business angles or opportunities.”
“But after a point, the art has to pay the bills; I need to look after my house and family with the money I make from the music,” adds Vengayo, whose other popular songs are “Kilo 54” and “Ai”.
All isn’t that rosy in the world of Tamil rap, says Mrs Go (Rubini Gopinath). After entering the scene with her first single “En Kathai” where she collaborated with Asal Kolaar and VC Rapper, Mrs Go made a name for herself as the ‘Saree Rapper’, thanks to her music videos.
“While I am grateful for the fact that my videos were trending and I got invited to perform on stage, other female rappers were sidelined. Even when I requested for them to come up with me, the organisers didn’t allow for that to happen,” she recalls. Mrs Go’s “Show Time” with Debbie Pari, another independent Tamil women rapper, also put her on the map.
“While around 15-odd names are popular now, there are a hundred more fantastic Tamil rappers who don’t get the deserved recognition due to a lack of promotion and sponsors. Some of the younger lot, especially, are so talented when it comes to their lyric-writing. Unfortunately, music labels don’t want to spotlight them,” says Mrs Go.
But she is determined to ensure there is an emerging community for them. “We began an event series titled ‘Rap Sambavam’ to help upcoming artistes and have staged the initial editions. Eventually we hope to expand it to all cities in Tamil Nadu and further the cause, she concludes.
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