HipHopistan — upcoming in Chicago

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(Link stolen from PTR.) I have no idea what the song is about [translation help, anyone?], but I love the video, beats, and the sound of the rap.

People in Chicago this week might want to head down to the University of Chicago for a Desi Hop Hop Conference, HipHopistan (April 17-19). It’s a mix of performances, roundtable discussions, and hands-on workshops. Among the performers present will be Yogi B & Natchatra (featured in the video above), as well as Chee Malabar, Kabir, Abstract/Vision, and the ubiquitous DJ Rekha.

I must admit I’ve stopped aggressively following developments in Desi Hip Hop and Bhangra/hip hop fusion somewhat lately. (Have I been missing much?) If I were in Chicago, I might show up at this event just to see if anything these guys are doing might inspire renewed interest.

29 thoughts on “HipHopistan — upcoming in Chicago”

  1. Its an old Iliayaraja song remixed(with extra rapping) by Malaysian Tamil rappers. One of the guy it seems was a video rental guy with too much interest in music.

  6. grrhhh…A “Northie” beat me to it….. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Maharashtra (Bombay) is not in the north :p. Also you should not assume that everyone from Bombay is automatically a non-madrasi.

  8. Transliterated Tamil lyrics for the original song (minus the rap) from http://www.rakkamma.com/filmsongdetails.phtml?filmid=425&songid=1814

    madai thirandhu… thaavum nadhiyalai naan manam thirandhu koovum siru kuyil naan isai kalaingan yen aasaigaL aayiram… ninaithathu paliththadhu……. hoi nanananna…..naana nanananna..

    hey hey…..papappaaa…

    kaalam kanindhadhu kadhavugaL thirandhadhu gnanam viLaindhadhu.. nallisai pirandhadhu pudhu raagam padaippadhaalE naanum iraivanE…(2) viralilum kuralilum swarangaLin naattiyam amaiththEn … naan…….(madai thirandhu)

    nEtren arangilE… nizhalgaLin naadagam indren yedhirilE.. nijangaLin dharisanam varungaalam vasantha kaalam naaLum mangalam (2) isaikkena isaikindra rasigargaL raajjiyam yenakkE dhaan………..(madai thirandhu)

  9. Here’s my attempted translation, the song is from the movie “Nizhalgall” – Shadows; One of the characters a struggling music composer gets an audition with some movie producers and composes this song about how he feels about the impending big break and as usual the song shifts into a dream sequence. This is some what auto biographial of Illayaraja who was becoming big back then, and he cameos as the singer in the dream sequence.

    madai (flood gates) thirandhu (open)… thaavum (springing/jumping) nadhiyalai (river wave) naan (I)

    I am the bursting river wave as the flood gates open

    manam (Heart) thirandhu (open) koovum (singing/bird cry) siru (small) kuyil (cuckoo/koyal) naan (I) I am the song bird that sings its heart out

    isai (music) kalaingan (artiste) yen (my) aasaigaL (Desires) aayiram (thousand)… I am a music artiste with a thousand dreams

    ninaithathu (what I thought) paliththadhu (came true)……. hoi My wishes have come true

    nanananna…..naana nanananna..

  10. kaalam (time) kanindhadhu (ripened) kadhavugaL (doors) thirandhadhu (opened) My time has come, doors have opened

    gnanam (Wisdom/Knowledge) viLaindhadhu (bore fruit).. nallisai (great music) pirandhadhu (was born) Knowledge prevailed and great music was born

    pudhu (new) raagam (tune/raaga) padaippadhaalE (because I create) naanum (I am also) iraivanE (god)…(2)

    Since I create new tunes I am brahma/god too

    viralilum (in my fingers) kuralilum (in my voice) swarangaLin (of musical notes) naattiyam (dance)

    Musical notes dance in my fingers and voice

    amaiththEn (composed) … naan (I)…….(madai thirandhu)

    As I Composed

  11. Translate, you’re the best. Isn’t this Illaiyaraja song autobiographical? Having something to do with his career finally taking off – the flood gates opening…? May I add that I love hearing Tamil rapped. To me, Tamil sounds percussive.

  12. nEtren (yesterday On my) arangilE (Stage/Arena)… nizhalgaLin (of Shadows) naadagam (drama)

    Yesterday/Past was a drama of shadows (Desires) on my stage

    indren (Today my) yedhirilE (front of).. nijangaLin (Truths/facts) dharisanam (Sight/View/Darshan) Today I can see them as truths in front of me

    varungaalam (Future) vasantha (Spring) kaalam (Time)

    My future looks like spring time

    naaLum (everyday) mangalam (prosperous)(2)

    Everyday is filled with joy

    isaikkena (for the sake of music) isaikindra (performing music) rasigargaL (fans’) raajjiyam (kingdom) This kingdom of fans where music is performed for music’s sake

    yenakkE dhaan………..(madai thirandhu) is all mine

  13. The lyricist “vairamuthu” shot to fame with this movie, although he is known to pass off mediocre stuff as arcane or cloaked in rhyme – http://openscroll.org/ramesh/ramesh4.html ( the legendary Ramesh from the newsgroup days) .

    Bess, Tamil Rap/Hip Hop equivalents have been around int he sub genre of “Gaanaa” – Slum/Tapori songs, and “Kuthu” – beats songs (played and danced to in processions for the dead), funny that in Madras the dance is for death processions and not so much for weddings (Atleast not on roads). The elite do neither ๐Ÿ™‚

    Also, Tamil movie music has been incorporating/copying heavy bass and rhythm and hip-hopish feels more so than Bollywood, Bally Sagoo complains about the missing Bass and beats that could transform some tepid old bolly numbers

    Any e.gs for Gaana Kuthu plain old Hip Hop/Rap

  16. amardeep,

    Kabir is fresh…most def worth a listen but you probably already knew that!

  18. Amardeep,

    Respect for posting this. Made my day. You are the coolest prof around – hands down!

  20. I’ll be there too! [I’m one of the organizers, I’ll be at the ticket table, come say hi!] Do I hear impromptu SM meet-up?

  21. Mumbaikar Maharashtra (Bombay) is not in the north :p.

    LOL….yaar,very few Mumbaikars accept that geographical fact. Kudos! you are one of them.

    Mumbaikar Also you should not assume that everyone from Bombay is automatically a non-madrasi.

    haha..expected that..I know that very well, machaan. I was the only “southie” in a team filled with “northies”. I was just kidding…guess you didn’t read the comments in this dosa post

    Translate, nice job. I couldn’t even get one line properly. Thanks for reminding about gaana, kuthu

    Gaana from Amaran

    Kuthu from Vallavan

  22. translate…awesome job. thanks! yeah, bess i feel the same way about tamil. it flows so well in rap. although traditional tamil speakers consider it a very graceful and dainty language, and compare it to a modest woman, or so i’ve heard. those characterizations hardly meld with the popular conception of rap ๐Ÿ™‚

  23. Gargoyle on April 16, 2008 01:18 PM It’s great! Tamil movies have played with this genre several times, and it’s generally worked. Check out this one (though some of you have probably seen it before). Not Tamilian rap, but Malayalam rock.

    Avial just released their CD. Buy here. I’m not sure they’ll ship to US. My copy is on its way ๐Ÿ™‚

  24. The only Desi Hip Hop/Rap, I listen to comes from UK — RDB, Lightnin MC, GI Jatt, MC Metz, MIA (??). Haven’t heard any decent hip hop from Indian-Americans here.

    If I was in Chicago, would defintely be there.

  25. One of the characters a struggling music composer gets an audition with some movie producers and composes this song about how he feels about the impending big break and as usual the song shifts into a dream sequence. This is some what auto biographial of Illayaraja who was becoming big back then, and he cameos as the singer in the dream sequence.

    Translate, thanks again for the Tamil to English poetry. Of course, I realize now that in my hurry to read your tranlation I totally missed the preface – the answer to my question being within it.(insert red-faced emoticon here)

    Bess, Tamil Rap/Hip Hop equivalents have been around int he sub genre of “Gaanaa” – Slum/Tapori songs, and “Kuthu” – beats songs (played and danced to in processions for the dead)…

    Why does this have me thinking of a traditional New Orleans funeral? I’m going to be looking up ganaa and kuthu beat songs.

    although traditional tamil speakers consider it a very graceful and dainty language, and compare it to a modest woman, or so i’ve heard.

    Lady Port,I’m guessing this wasn’t said by one of those moustachioed Tamil tough guy types. I love listening to Tamil in all its accent variations.

  27. Correction

    isaikkena (for the sake of music) isaikindra (performing music) rasigargaL (fans’) raajjiyam (kingdom)

    This kingdom of fans where music is performed for music’s sake should be

    isaikkena (for the sake of music) isaiGindra (Agreeing) rasigargaL (fans’) raajjiyam (kingdom)

    This kingdom of fans where music reins supreme

    Just realized the subtlety, had blindly translated the original transliteration. The “kka” and a “ga” make a differene, the former is performing and the latter means agreeing, the original english transliteration is ambiguous, it should have been “isaikkindra” or “isaigindra” but was “isaikindra” ๐Ÿ™‚ The second version is far more appealing and I am sure thats what “Vaira-muthu” (Diamond-Pearl ???) the poet wrote and SPB sang

  29. The lyricist “vairamuthu” shot to fame with this movie

    It’s a common misconception that Vairamuthu wrote every song in Nizhalgal – he only wrote ‘Pon Maalai’. ‘Dhoorathil Naan Kanda’ (I could be wrong about this) & ‘Madai Thirandhu’ were by Vaali, and Gangai Amaran wrote ‘Poonkathavae’.

    PS: Nice job with the translation.