Rap
music
hardly
struck
a
chord
in
Tamil
music
a
few
years
ago,
but
the
scene
is
gradually
changing
for
the
better,
says
singer-rapper
Sricharan
Kasthurirangan,
who
has
sung
rap
portions
in
films
such
Chennai
Express
and
Ko.
"A
few
years
ago
nobody
bothered
about
rap
portions
in
songs.
It's
not
the
same
anymore.
Rap
music
in
India,
especially
in
Tamil
cinema,
is
gaining
importance.
People
have
started
recognising
rap
lines
and
are
giving
due
credit
to
singers," Sricharan
told
IANS.
Sricharan
has
written
and
crooned
Tamil
rap
lines
in
the
song
"One
two
three
four"
from
the
forthcoming
Shah
Rukh
Khan-starrer
Bollywood
film
Chennai
Express.
A
singer-rapper
for
nearly
eight
years,
Sricharan
even
sang
Ennamo
Yedho
in
Tamil
action-drama
Ko.
He
says
he
has
received
"many
personal
messages"
via
social
networking
platforms,
with
people
appreciating
his
work.
"It's
good
that
our
work
is
finally
being
recognised,"
he
said,
adding
that
"this
is
just
the
beginning".
He
feels
the
reason
why
rap
music
has
still
not
found
its
place
in
the
Tamil
industry
is
because
music
here
is
still
accustomed
to
melody
and
mushy
songs.
"We
are
used
to
melody
and
love
songs.
We
even
have
item
numbers
and
a
hero
introduction
song,
but
rarely
a
rap
number.
Why
can't
we
have
a
rap
song
to
introduce
our
hero
in
the
films?"
he
asked.
Talking
about
the
possibilities
around
a
rap
track,
he
said:
"We
don't
necessarily
need
to
have
a
fast
rap
number
as
there
are
different
versions
of
rap
music.
We
can
have
a
rap
version
of
a
melodious
love
number.
Or
it
could
be
done
something
along
the
lines
of
what
Chris
Brown
and
Usher
are
doing
in
the
west,"
he
said.
Sricharan,
who
writes
his
own
lyrics,
avers
that
rap
music
is
not
about
swearing
and
singing
gibberish.
"Rap
stands
for
rhythm
and
poetry.
Lyrics
are
the
most
important
part
in
a
rap
number
and
they
need
to
have
a
soul.
I
don't
swear
in
my
songs
and
I
take
effort
to
write
my
lines.
I
give
lot
of
importance
to
the
lyrics
and
never
sing
gibberish,"
he
said.
However,
in
most
cases,
it
gets
tough
for
people
to
catch
up
on
a
rap
song's
lyrics.
Sricharan
has
a
solution
to
this:
"I
urge
my
music
directors
and
producers
to
print
the
lyrics
of
the
rap
portion
of
a
song
on
the
CD
cover.
When
people
start
appreciating
the
lyrics,
they
will
automatically
enjoy
a
song
even
more."
Writing
the
lines
for
the
song
"One
Two
Three
Four"
and
singing
for
a
Shah
Rukh
Khan
movie
was
a
milestone
for
Sricharan.
"It
was
a
rare
opportunity
and
I
did
my
best.
I
don't
think
there
was
any
difference
in
the
way
I
sang
the
song.
The
effort
for
all
songs
remains
the
same
because
if
it's
not
the
same,
then
I'm
responsible
for
it,"
said
Sricharan,
who
has
also
rapped
for
Malayalam
film
Kili
Poyi.
Sricharan,
who
has
worked
with
all
major
southern
composers,
hopes
to
collaborate
with
Oscar-winning
composer
AR
Rahman
soon.
IANS