Malayalam hip hop

Malayalam Hip hop, is a genre of popular music developed in Kerala starting in around 2004. The term has also come to be used as an alternative for rap music, and even pop music, which involves rappers of South Asian origins.

Overview
Street Academics were the first ever hip hop band to be established in 2009, in Malayalam hip hop. They started with freestyling. Malayalam hip hop was initially introduced widespread by FEJO and ThirumaLi during the 2018 to 2019 period, they played significant role in introducing the genre among the Malayali community. FEJO's first debut release in 2018 "Vere Level" and ThirumaLi's first debut hit "Malayali Da," in 2019, marked the onset of Malayalam rap.

In 2023, Mass Appeal India initiated a scouting program in the South Indian market to sign Malayalam hip-hop artists. Later, Spotify officially announced that Malayalam music consumption has increased, with a significant portion attributed to Malayalam hip-hop. During the period, The Spotify has noticed several releases by Malayalam hip hop artists featured in the Global and Hip hop Charts.

A hip-hop music festival called "Ocha Music Festival", was introduced in 2023. It is currently one of the leading hip-hop music festivals in Kerala. It is usually held in the Bolgatty Palace Arena in Kochi.

In 2024, The hip hop artist Dabzee significantly gained fame, producing and singing for Malayalam movies. He is the first ever artist from Kerala to perform at Earth Soul in Coco-Cola Arena

Major artists
List of established artists in Malayalam hip hop genre.


 * Dabzee
 * ThirumaLi
 * FEJO
 * Street Academics
 * MC Couper
 * Vedan
 * BABY JEAN
 * NJ
 * Parimal Shais
 * San Jaimt