Rappers Pal Dabba and Arivu | Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas
Arivu and Pal Dabba’s dating started even before they were formally acquainted with each other. “When Paal Dabba’s ‘Aye Aye Aye Aye’ came, a mutual friend heyTold me that Pal had danced in the video of one of my songs ‘Namma Stories’. That’s when I started following him on social media. “I even sent him a message congratulating him,” says Arivu.
Pal, on the other hand, was an avid listener of Arivu since his first major album Therukural. “I heard ‘Kalla Mouni’ and ‘Sanda Seivom’ and was wondering who was this guy churning banger after banger,” he says.
These years of mutual admiration resulted in the two leading artists of Tamil rap coming together to perform at Petta Rap.
Arivu says this is an important time for rap in the mother tongue. “We’re all just figuring out how to experiment, rap and bring diverse sounds to our mother tongue. While I bring the flavor from Arakkonam, Bhai Pal brings it from his region,” he says.
Pal Dabba believes that this inertia finds its way into his work and is important to his identity as an artist. He frequently recalls the lesson he learned at a dance workshop in Chennai by a renowned international artist. “People were criticizing her dance style and discussing that international style in detail. However, the artist asked everyone to focus on learning and finding ways to incorporate local flavor into the look. It is not right to speak as if local artwork is not valid,” he says.
He says that language helps in uncovering the roots of an individual and community. “That is why I am a representative of Tamil. I want to take these stories and make sure they connect with my people and the world,” he says.
Proceeding from here, Arivu says that the language, which was a medium created hundreds of years ago, has found a way to speak through its tongue after crossing the generations. “My role today is to keep it alive till my last breath,” he says.
Rappers Pal Dabba and Arivu | Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas
When both these rappers were young, success caught up with them. He has traveled to various stages across the world and is looking forward to these experiences outside of himself. What do their mothers have to say about their success? “My mother is a brilliant singer but she always sings only at home. Although he is happy with my success, I feel sad to know that others like him have not been successful in becoming singers. I want to collaborate with him and get him into a recording studio,” says Arivu. He further adds that his mother used to scold him on some occasions and ask him to stop expressing his views. Arivu says, “Chances are I would have enjoyed saying this line in an interview while singing a song.”
Pal Dabba says that with success also comes a healthy dose of fear. “I am the first person in my family to enter this industry. This is definitely new for everyone and sometimes scary for my mom, but I’ve sat down and talked with her. I told him ‘it will be so.’
Soon, Pal will release his single ‘X’, which is a bit of a departure from his usual upbeat rap. “This is an experiment. A slow rap with a bit of fantasy about my love life and its implications. I took it as a challenge to experiment,” he says, making an ‘X’ with his hand, adding that he would never want to see this character again in his life.
Arivu says that he is afraid of writing love songs and has pondered over ‘love’ over the years because the harsh reality is that it is deeply political. However, someday he hopes to experiment.
Both rappers have a lot to say, but they’ll want to save their energy for performing in concert. “It’s going to be fun. We want everyone to go back with a smile of satisfaction, drenched in sweat and dancing,” he says.
Petta Rap by Arivu x Pal Dabba is on 15th December at Island Grounds. It will start at 6.30 pm. Tickets are priced at ₹499 and ₹999 on insider.in, bookmyshow, skillbox and actcevents.com. The Hindu Made of Chennai it’s a celebration partner.
published – December 11, 2024 09:53 PM IST
