TRACING THE GROWTH OF SOUTH INDIA'S HIP-HOP MOVEMENT

ONCE SEEN AS A REGIONAL OUTLIER, SOUTH INDIA IS NOW SHAPING INDIA'S HIP-HOP STORY WITH ITS LANGUAGES, DIVERSITY, AND HUNGER FOR ORIGINALITY.

- By PEONY HIRWANI

South India’s rap scene today is a canvas colored by tradition, experimentation, and relentless ambition.

Once dismissed as a regional footnote in India’s broader hip-hop story, it now pulses with energy, as artists, labels, and fans collaborate to form a story that refuses to be an afterthought.

In 2023, nearly 30 per cent of the top 50 tracks on Spotify India were hip-hop, underlining how the genre has become foundational to what young Indians are now listening to. Yet, while North Indian rap (especially Mumbai's “gully rap” wave) has often dominated headlines, the South is silently generating styles, voices, and rhythms that feel distinctly its own.

Ranbir Kapoor, the Senior A&R and Label Coordinator at Mass Appeal, remembers how different things were just a few years ago. The South was full of talent — but largely invisible to national players. “I don’t understand the language, so I actually had to make the trip down South to understand and immerse myself in the ecosystem so I could get behind it. That’s how I got Dabzee, Vedan & Baby Jean to partner up with Mass Appeal to make them the first South Indian artists to partner with a global label like ours.” This wasn’t just a business bet; it was a signal: the South had creators who could speak globally without losing local grounding.