‘Hip-Hop is about owning your identity’ : MC Couper

Rapper MC Couper’s new track ‘Dayumm’ is about identity—a spirited celebration of the self. “I am confident about who I am now and the track is a reflection of that,” he says. ‘Dayumm’, which dropped three weeks ago, has a playful vibe with funky kuthu beats backing Couper’s characteristic flow. “I usually let the song do its thing, but here, a lot of thought has gone into the video, as well,” he says.

The video was shot at his apartment and features him “in his space”, being himself and gaming. “In this day and age, your visual game has to be top notch. I try to keep the visual aspect of my videos more in sync with who I am,” he says.

Though much of his writing now is spontaneous, he does go into self-imposed writing camps, something he used to do in his initial years. These camps are when he experiments with linguistic texture and lyricism. ‘Dayumm’ was born out of one such camp, says Couper. “It came together in a matter of hours. The ‘ratatata’ in the song is the pen going off,” he explains.

Couper like to detail his verses; keeping it real, reflecting on life, identity, social realities and personal choices. Powerful lyrics don’t always have to stem from a place of anger, he says. “Most of us (rappers) start out angry. The stress, the frustration… and hip-hop is a powerful tool for self expression,” says Couper, “but I think I have moved on from there. For me, it has been about personal growth. I am comfortable in my skin. Now, my art is often about the people that I really love in my life. Hip-hop is a locally-rooted art form. It is about owning your identity.” 

MC Couper
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Couper was among the earliest artistes to break into the hip-hop scene in Kerala with his 2019 debut release ‘Nerchapaattu’,which was more of an experiment, says Couper. He built his repertoire, word by word. Fast, powerpacked verses that made people take note. Always inclined to languages, Couper was more fluent in English. ‘Nerchapaattu’ was spontaneous and it made him realise he was as felicitous with Malayalam.

He was inspired by American rappers Eminem, Mac Miller and J Cole. “Artistes such as Mac Miller and J Cole taught me that one can rap about feelings, create emotionally resonant verses. That was a turning point in my writing,” says Couper.

He soon created his own space in Kerala’s nascent hip-hop scene. ‘Ayyayyo’, a track featuring him, with Thirumali, Hanumankind and Parimal Shais in 2023, broke the internet and everyone was talking about the “Malabar boys from the south side.” 

The tryst with films helped. Having written and performed for Aavesham, Romancham, Purusha Pretham, Naradan, Nadikar – he co-wrote ‘Mathapithakkale’ from Aavesham and sang it too, along with Malayali Monkeys and sang ‘Thalatherichavar’ in Romancham along with Zia Ul Haq, both of which became instant hits. “That is the thing about films. It opens up an entire world,” says Couper.

MC Couper
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

He was in the eye of a controversy recently when a few people from the crowd gathered for a show in Kannur, started hurling abuses at the performing artistes. Couper reacted and videos of the incident went viral. “We did not expect this kind of intolerance. A junior artiste was performing and it really shook him. Hip-hop is a community thing. You need to stand up for your people and that was what I did,” he says.

“Every gig is a challenge; you are in a very vulnerable space while on the stage. Over the years, I have gained confidence. At the end of the day, it is about connecting with people,” says Couper.

He has an entire list of tracks coming up — ‘Chaappa Kurishu’ with producer Akash Shravan, ‘Mannira’ with songwriter and producer Loozmathai, ‘Atta‘ with music producer Hrishi. So, when does he take a break? “Life and work coincide. I don’t really take a break, except to play Xbox,” he says.