Rap music has become more mainstream now: ThirumaLi

ThirumaLi, Vishnu MS, the rapper who gave Malayalis Pacha Parishkari and Kulasthree, recently did a song to promote voting. He spoke to us about his commitment to social causes, the evolution of rap music and more. Excerpts:
A song to encourage Gen Z to vote
The Ernakulam district authorities planned a project to promote voting among the new generation, as they are largely considered apolitical. The song we made to promote this was aimed at showing that one vote can change everything. Does he feel Gen Z is apolitical? I think the political spirit was much higher when we were in college. I am not very sure.

Gen Z forms the majority of our listeners. They listen to our songs more. Conveying this message through their favourite artistes might work to reach the target audience. The old kind of revolutionary songs might not work on the new generation. Perhaps they felt rap might work.


'Drug-induced crimes triggered me to write Nonsense'
Nonsense is my own project, my independent idea inspired by recent news about drug-induced murders and attacks. It triggered me. That’s why I wrote Nonsense. The connection to the nostalgic Kiliye Kiliye happened by accident. When people lose their sense due to inebriation, we call it kili poyi. That’s why kili (bird) was used as a metaphor.

'Girls form a good part of our audience now'
In the beginning, rappers only had a niche core audience. Some people made songs with available resources, and the target audience would listen. But now, there is a larger audience. It is an exponential growth. Some four years ago, mostly boys used to listen to rap; now girls do, too.

'Rap has changed with entry of corporates'
When I started out, we could count the number of artistes on our fingers. Now, the number has grown. A lot of new rappers are coming up. Now, work isn’t independent as such. There are many corporate players. Many of the artistes are signed. Cinema is also giving them many opportunities. It has become more mainstream.
Cinema is not a medium we can do our self-expression freely. It has a story, a director and other crew members. Not just rappers but everyone, including actors, works according to the director’s vision. So, we don’t always have that space for self-expression. But it does rarely happen. I did a song for Operation Java; it talks about lack of jobs. I related to it and did it quickly. Such incidents happen rarely.
On his collaboration with Thudwiser and Jay Stellar
I first met Thudwiser when there weren’t many rappers on the scene. He worked with me consistently. Jay Stellar, too. Now, we have more offers. As we have worked together for long, we have a creative bonding. We are able to understand what the other is asking for. With a new person, that might not be the case.

'Layman’s language will connect with audience'
There are three kinds of audience — our core audience, average audience and the rest, the general crowd who are checking what is happening. Simple language and themes that ordinary people understand will help connect a work to the audience. Our self-expression may not have as much impact.

'We don’t have to please others when we do indie work'
The biggest challenge independent artistes face is that we are competing with big artistes and playback singers. Earlier, there was a difference in how society perceived a mainstream musician and an independent musician. Usually, an artiste’s value would increase if there is a film to their credit. Now, that has changed a little. Otherwise, we were always considered second-class citizens. On the positive side, we don’t have to please others as independent artistes and can express ourselves.

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