After I ask actor-musician Neeraj Madhav concerning the edginess and the underlying be aware of anger in some strains of his current hip-hop numbers, he explains that braggadocio is part of hip-hop music. “Hip-hop has a component of flexing or boasting. It’s self-uplifting and about embracing the self. It can be an outlet to vent anger.
As hip-hop artiste NJ, he has cemented his place in Kerala’s rap-heavy indie music scene. His newest single is ‘Ballaatha Jaathi’, in collaboration with homegrown hip-hop artistes Dabzee and Child Jean. The earworm has garnered 14 million views on YouTube and has been streamed greater than 20 million instances [at the time of writing] through a number of audio streaming platforms since its launch in June. The track can be a part of his album, Padakuthira, tentatively scheduled to drop later this 12 months. He intends to collaborate with musicians throughout language and regional boundaries for the album.
“Nothing [films] thrilling got here up after RDX (Robert Dony Xavier). I’m a right-brained man, and if I’m not having fun with the method [of creating] then I can not do it. I’d reasonably not do one thing if it doesn’t excite me!”
Belonging to an trade the place one’s relevance is measured by how usually one is ‘seen’ on display screen, Neeraj actively chooses to push boundaries. He additionally refuses to be complacent, doesn’t strive to slot in, and prefers to be choosy reasonably than tackle initiatives to rack up numbers. He can be subsequent seen in Vaashi director Vishnu Raghav’s internet sequence, Love Underneath Development , scheduled to stream on Disney Hotstar.
Music focus
He chooses to concentrate on his music, which, he agrees, has given him entry to a different viewers. His musician persona attracts “a youthful, cooler viewers.” Music offers him the area to experiment as an artiste; his repertoire contains, moreover hip-hop, melodies and pop songs too.
The 34-year-old’s first rap quantity, which got here out in 2020, was Jungle Rap.; Panipaali adopted, and there was no wanting again as a musician for Neeraj. The indie music scene has developed exponentially and is financially viable for musicians, in contrast to up to now.
Of the contributory components to the success of ‘Ballaatha Jaathi’, an important is the familiarity with what Neeraj calls the ‘Malabari’ slang. Movies positioned within the area and the recognition of musicians akin to Dabzee and Child Jean, who hail from North Kerala, are components which have mainstreamed the dialect and slang of the area.
“I wrote the hook for the track in 2020, however I didn’t try it then as I felt, on the time, that individuals wouldn’t get it. It’s the proper time now to collaborate with Dabzee and Child Jean; we’re from that a part of Kerala,” Neeraj says.
Whereas he belongs to Kozhikode, Dabzee and Child Jean hail from Malappuram. Rapper-producer Rzee, who hails from Kannur, completes a mixture of artists greatest geared up to replicate the tradition of Malabar. Three totally different types of the style come collectively effortlessly within the track. The video is slick, and the track is an earworm, the sort you hearken to in a loop.
Making Ballaatha Jaathi…
Somewhat than create a video with aesthetics typical of the unique hip-hop model, Neeraj needed one thing rooted within the native tradition owing to the colourful subculture round Malayalam hip-hop music and musicians. “American hip hop attracts from hood tradition and gun violence, which we can not relate to. We are able to solely take the essence of it and add native and ethnic components, with some cultural integration. Since Malabar has a powerful Arabian affect, we mentioned the idea of Arabian Nights and reimagined it for the video!” The idea and path is by Pranav Sasidharan. He has spared no bills within the making of the only, with the intent of making a ‘benchmark’ for indie music.
“Not like movies, one has inventive liberty as a musician. There aren’t any strings hooked up. There have been hits and misses, but it surely has been an thrilling journey in music.” He finds dwell performances invigorating ‘euphoric’ experiences.
That being mentioned, he likes each his jobs — as an actor and a musician. “The gratification in performing just isn’t immediate, in contrast to, say, a dwell efficiency. That mentioned, you’ll be able to proceed being an actor at any stage. Movies provide you with a bigger area for storytelling. As does music, the place you get, say, 5 or 10 minutes. I’m a fan of storytelling.”
Storyteller first
He made his performing debut in 2013, the notable position being Drishyam’s Monichan. He has been a part of movies akin to Apothecary, Oru Mexican Aparatha, Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, Kunjiramayanam, Charlie, Adi Kapyare Kootamani, Enkkilum Chandrike and, most just lately, Varshangalkku Shesham. Neeraj was one of many first actors from the Malayalam movie trade to seem in an online sequenceThe Household Man (2019) on Amazon Prime and later Feels Like Ishq on Netflix. He had been working in different language industries, like Gautham Menon’s Tamil gangster movie Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022), when RDX got here calling.
Neeraj Madhav
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The 2023 movie, directed by Nahas Hidayath, which he headlined with Shane Nigam and Anthony Varghese, was the sort of comeback-with-a-bang movie any actor would dream of. Xavier was vindication and proof that he might do various kinds of roles, even action-hero roles. He needed a comeback automobile as a result of “you do character actor-type roles in different language industries, chances are high you’re going to get the identical sort of roles once more.”
In additional than 10 years since his performing debut, Neeraj has labored his means up in an trade that’s nonetheless largely pushed by camps and connections, until you might be an A-lister. Among the angst of getting to battle finds expression in his music. “Sure, there are autobiographical components in my songs. I’ve had my share of issues attempting to deal with the system, however I’m nonetheless standing.” These emotions discover expression in his music, the place he writes about, amongst different issues, being an outsider and never feeling welcome.
Neeraj is now co-writing a few scripts that he intends to supply. “Luckily, at this time I’m ready to orchestrate initiatives for myself. Have a look at what Rakshit Shetty and Rishab Shetty are doing. Somewhat than look forward to thrilling initiatives to return my means, I wish to make them occur.”
