Express News Service
KOCHI: Malayalam rapper Radha Krishnan, popularly known as Rakz Radiant, has been creating music as an expression of his thoughts. The youngster in his 20s has created his own niche in the Kerala hip-hop circle by releasing more than 50 tracks on his YouTube channel since his debut in 2016. Rakz pens rap lyrics or ‘bars’ on political-social issues and observe them as a social responsibility. For him, rap music is the voice of society to express the views and plights of the common man.
Rakz says rap music is not just a time pass or a fun ride. “We write poetry in simple words to create songs with beats. It is sad to see some people stamp us as a social nuisance from our looks. To society, I say listen to their lyrics and then judge us. They contain the raw truths we observe in the society,” says Rakz, who is also part of the Malayalam rap collective, ‘Kala Man’.
According to him, there is a growth in rap music in Kerala and the Kochi-based rap group Street Academics, artists like Achayanz, Thirumali boosted the music style. Rakz says creating music with Kerala’s traditional music styles will increase the acceptance of the genre. “A Malayali might connect more with Malayalam bars. So, we could experiment with chenda and idaykka to create new beats. Also, for rappers, the music takes birth according to his or her mood,” he says.
His dedication and love towards rap music were obvious in his song SSS (South Size Samskaram) that talks about what rap music is and its culture and ideology. Though the song was released two years ago, it was one of the hit tracks of the artist, a Thiruvananthapuram native.
Since 2016, he has been releasing an annual series called ‘Vibes’ on his birthday. “It is like a roundup of the past year. I released a peppy number Vibes 22 Chill Aane last year, as 2019 was a pleasant time. But Vibes 23, as the year was a nightmare for all of us, was full of grief. The ‘Explicit’ track is filled with sadness and angst,” says the rapper.
The young musician is bold in his music approaches. “I split my name Rakz Radiant as two individuals. Rakz is an artist who features bright and peppy music for the audience. While Radiant is the one who raises his voice on the dark side of society. Nale Aaru, a track about the death and investigation of two girls in Valayar last year was a question on social injustice done to the family. The death of Uthara who was killed by her husband through a snake bite was also themed for another track that originated under Radiant,” he adds.
Instagram @rakzradiant