User:Marakandeyan/sandbox
STREET ACADEMICS
Background Information
Origin:- Kerala, India
Genres:- Underground Hip-Hop, Alternative Hip-Hop
Years active:- 2009-present
Instruments:- Vocals, Sampler, Drum machine, Synthesizer, Turntables.
Members:- Rjv Ernesto (Pakarcha Vyadhi) Haris Saleem (Maapla) Amjad Nadeem (Azuran) Abhimanyu Raman (Earthgrime) Pranav CH Vivek Radhakrishnan (DJ VIV3K)
Past Members:- Ruthin Thej
Associated Acts:- Mappila Lahala Divine (Deepwaters 059) Sez Mumbais Finest Microphon3
Street Academics is an Indian hip-hop group from Kerala, known for their songs blending malayalam & english lyrics over alternative production incorporating the elements of boom bap, ambient & electronic music. They came into public attention with the singles “Vandi Puncture” & “Native Bapa”, which went viral on social media. Apart from simple street commentary & toasting found in their malayalam lyrics, they are noted for conscious & surreal english lyricism.
History The idea of Street Academics was first brought forward by Rjv Ernesto in 1999 as a community for slam poetry. During the late 2000's, Rjv was introduced to internet based hip-hop communities, where he met Haris Saleem, who was active on the scene running TNT, a duo he formed with Varsh Kalki Mithrh. Later Haris & Rjv recorded various singles, which still remains unreleased. Haris brought in his high school friend Amjad Nadeem, They decided to form Street Academics; which was named after Rjv's freestyle record about elements of hiphop culture. Abhimanyu Raman and Pranav Ch were added to the crew subsequent to its formation. Ruthin Thej, music producer & keyboardist, worked with Street Academics on the first 3 singles. He later left the group for pursuing his career with Thaikkudam Bridge. In 2013, Vivek Radhakrishnan joined the crew as the official DJ/Producer. The group's various efforts are majorly supported by the video production duo consisting of Sai Giridhar & Amrith Madhusudhanan.
Singles/Music Videos Street Academics released their debut single “Rest In Peace” in 2011, which established their position in the local community. But it was the vernacular hip-hop single "Vandi Puncture"(2012) that carried the group outside the circles. It became a viral hit among the youngsters across Kerala and the Gulf region. After that success, Street Academics collaborated with their brother movement Mappila Lahala to make a spoken word/hip-hop single "Native Bapa", which had a narrative of an old father's thoughts about his son being accused as a terrorist. Iconic malayalam actor Maamukkoya portrayed the role of the father in both the song & video, where Haris Saleem delivered socially conscious verses on it. "Native Bapa" was widely noticed, became a discussion topic all across the country & world wide hip-hop communities.
In 2013, the group released a video "Trapped In Rhymes" which featured Rjv Ernesto & Amjad Nadeem bombing graffiti & trading back to back verses. A couple of months after, Street Academics released their much awaited single "Aathmasphere", which featured the verses of all the artists in the group. The group members went on to continue their solo works after that. Abhimanyu Raman released his debut album "Street Lights In The Sun" under Prototypal Records, which featured various underground artists across India, including members from Street Academics. Rjv Ernesto released his second mixtape/EP "Country Fellow: The Clairvoyant Of Alter Egos". He collaborated with the mumbai hip-hop artist Divine, producing music for his song “Yeh Mera Bombay” along with Delhi based producer Sajeel Kapoor (Sez), depicting the streets of Mumbai in both song and video. This went on to become a viral hit in Mumbai and is considered one of the best Indian hip-hop videos.
With the entry of Vivek, the group underwent notable changes in music production. As a result, Street Academics came up with "Angot Onnai", an experimental glitch hop/dubstep track featuring bboys from The Labyrinth on video. During the election campaigns of 2014, Street Academics released a conscious reggae/hip-hop song "#Think", which gained attention nationwide & has been shared by various political parties in their social media handles. In May 16, 2015, they released a video for their horrorcore single 16 Adiyanthiram.
Members Rjv Ernesto (Pakarcha Vyadhi) -MC/rapper, poet, lyricist, hip-hop producer, graffiti writer, beatboxer Haris Saleem (Maapla) - MC/rapper, poet, lyricist Amjad Nadeem (Azuran) - MC/rapper, poet, lyricist, vocalist Abhimanyu Raman (Earthgrime) - MC/rapper, poet, electronic producer Pranav CH - Rapper, lyricist Vivek Radhakrishnan (DJ VIV3K) - DJ/Music producer Sai Giridhar - Director, editor Amrith Madhusudhanan - Director Of Photography
Discography Albums/Mixtapes:- 1. Rjv Ernesto - Industrial Area (2008) 2. Rjv Ernesto - Country Fellow EP: The Clairvoyant Of Alter Egos (2012) 3. Asylum Of Philosophy - Asylum Of Philosophy EP (2012) 4. Earthgrime & Sez - Standalone Complex Vol 1: Paradox EP (2012) 5. Earthgrime - Street Lights In The Sun LP (2013)
Singles:- 1. "Rest In Peace" (2011) 2. "Vandi Puncture" (2012) 3. "Native Bapa" with Mappila Lahala (2012) 4. "Trapped In Rhymes" (2013) 5. "Aathmasphere" (2013) 6. "Angot Onnai" (2013) 7. "Think" (2014)