By CHIN JIAN WEI

Tamil hip hop music is ready to take the spotlight with Naamastay Hip Hop, a festival celebrating the music genre. Thirty-six vibrant homegrown artists will be participating, and there’ll be merchandise booths, interactive photo booths, as well as games. The event will be from 1.11pm to 11.11pm, with each artiste expected to perform for an average set length of 30 minutes (some sets will be ensemble performances), that’s a full 10 hours of quality entertainment, longer than even Good Vibes Festival!

As Sri Janarthanan Nair (Janarth), managing director of FourOne6, initiators of the event, puts it, “Tamil Hip Hop is huge. It is the only genre that has gone from the diaspora back to the mainland. Traditional Indian music comes from India, but Tamil hip hop comes from here. We brought this music overseas, and people overseas are listening to it.” Acts like Yogi B and Natchatra are among Malaysia’s most streamed music acts.

Janarth promises: “Naamastay Hip Hop is going to be different from any other concert you’ve attended, bringing great people, great vibes and great music together to represent and celebrate the originality and greatness of homegrown hip hop.” While Naamastay is a fully Tamil rap event, Janarth says he is looking forward to including Malay and Chinese rappers in future events as the event grows.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering the genre, come join the festival and experience what makes Tamil Hip Hop such a cornerstone of the Malaysian music industry!

The event will be held on May 20, at Sweet Memory, which is located along Jalan Chagar, Chow Kit. You can get your tickets here. Prices start from RM 111. For the latest updates, check out Naamastay Hip Hop on its Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!

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