Kochi Music Foundation's hip hop festival is a treat for rap enthusiasts

What do you get if you combine art and angst? Rap seems to be the answer, and not surprisingly Kerala hip hop scene is getting very hep. In the past several months, while actor-rappers like Neeraj Madhav and Sreenath Bhasi- Sekhar Menon, and Ekalavyan have really clicked with Malayalee audiences and are going viral with their music, newer names too have made people sit up and take notice.

So, it’s not surprising that the

Kochi Music Foundation

is tapping into this interest and bringing rappers under one roof with the second edition of their annual festival, Para, which is being streamed live on their social media handles. “The hip hop talents of our state writing and rapping about contemporary matters of the heart, mind and soul honouring hip hop traditions all over the world at Kochi Music Foundation

Hip Hop festival

,” notes the foundation on social media.

Over two sessions, Para has brought together an eclectic group of artistes, from Street Academics and

Fejo

to newer names like Rap Kid; the impressive line up includes MC Couper and Marthyan, and women rappers Indulekha Warrier, Irfana Hameed and Vivzy. The artistes for the music festival have apparently been put together by Sreenath Bhasi and Sekhar Menon, who recently collaborated on scriptwriter-director Mushin Parari’s Kozhi Punk rap based on K Sathchidanandan’s poem.

While Para is an online show, the energy of the artistes and their music is palpable. And there seems to be more excitement ahead in the schedule with the announcement of a ‘rap battle’.