ThirumaLi is back, crooning against substance abuse this time. His latest music video, ‘Nonsense’, makes a powerful statement about how drug abuse, smoking and alcoholism are breaking down families, relationships and society at large.
The video zooms into the life of a youngster who has fallen into these addictions, and reminds us how the habit is robbing a generation of several things beautiful and can even lead to crimes, including murder.
The delightful part of the production is how ThirumaLi plays with the Malayalam usage, kili poyi, a playful slang which means ‘on a high’, and then blends the popular Ilaiyaraaja composition, ‘Kiliye kiliye’ from the film Aa Rathri, into the number.
The artist has worked around the literal translation of kili poyi, that is ‘the bird flew away’, to reflect on the predicament of the character who is not in his senses any more. “I have used the bird as a metaphor in the video,” he says.
As for the reason for taking up the theme, ThirumaLi explains, “Everyone knows that substance abuse, especially drug addiction, is increasing among today’s youth. I thought it will be interesting to create awareness about drug abuse among Gen Z kids through rap because they make the largest fanbase of this genre.”
Rap musician ThirumaLi
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ThirumaLi says he has been taking up personal as well as general topics as themes of his productions. “While tracks such as ‘Vayyaveli’, ‘Uzhappan’ and ‘Kulasthree’ have a personal touch, ‘Nonsense’ is for the society. I prefer to take subjects that the listeners can relate with,” he says.
The musician, whose real name is Vishnu MS and has been around since 2013, says that there is no set pattern in his working style. “Sometimes I get the idea first and then develop it. At times, it is the title that pops up in my mind and I work around it. On certain occasions, I lock the beats first and then write the lyrics.”
A still from the music video ‘Nonsense’ by rap musician ThirumaLi
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Commenting on the rising popularity of rap music in Kerala, he observes that but for a small section of listeners who genuinely understand and follow it, the rest are going after a trend. “There is a core audience for any art form and rap too has such an audience. We are in this because of these people. The rest are algorithm-generated followers. They are in it for the vibe or out of curiosity. I don’t know if they are genuine lovers of the genre.”
At the same time he stresses that this is the golden era of rap music. “It is going to get bigger and better in the next five to 10 years.”
As someone who has seen the rise and growth of rap music scene in Kerala from close quarters he observes that there has been an “exponential growth” in the reception for the genre. “I started this at a time when there wasn’t enough patronage for rap here. Now we have innumerable rap musicians. And some of them are getting the same adulation as celebrities, especially actors, do. Also, corporates and record labels are coming forward in large numbers to release rap tracks. The change is overwhelming.”
A still from the music video ‘Nonsense’ by rap musician ThirumaLi
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A core member of the OG gang of Malayalam rap that has names such as Street Academics, Fejo, MC Couper, and Vedan, ThirumaLi avers that each of them had their individual style which he found missing in many new singers. “Although some of them are amazing, a majority of them are trying to do what we have done instead of being original. Also, with corporates coming in, authenticity gets compromised. There was a time when it was a cultural movement. But now most of it is commercialised and the rappers have to meet the standards set by the corporates and music labels. All said and done, the good thing about the new generation is that the artistes are bringing out collaborative projects whereas in our early days we concentrated more on solo productions,” he says.
Rap musician ThirumaLi
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He agrees that cinema has supported the genre. “However, I have not been that enthused about films. Also, rap is now slowly giving way to pop music in Malayalam cinema. I think that is good because then the rappers will strive more to get recognition rather than depending on cinema.”
ThirumaLi says he is grateful to have got a like-minded team of musicians and technicians who have been part of his journey, like ThudWiser and Jay Stellar, the latter being the producer of ‘Nonsense’. “They are dedicated to this genre and thanks to them I am able to bring out new projects.”
‘Nonsense’ is streaming on YouTube
Published – February 28, 2026 02:03 pm IST
