HIP HOP TAMIZHA, comprising Adhi and Jeeva introduced themselves with the song "Club le Mabbu le" in 2011.
Then in 2012, Hiphop Tamizha released their debut album Hip Hop Tamizhan, which is India's first Tamil hip hop album. It was a major success with both the general public and critics. There has been no stopping them since.
And their live shows, simply put, groundbreaking performances.
Hip Hop Tamizha with Adhi leading the way is well know in lighting up the stage whenever the outfit performs.
Known for his genre-defying fusion of Tamil beats and urban hip-hop rhythms, this dynamic performer will take you on a musical journey that transcends cultural boundaries.
Adhi's lyrics celebrate Tamil culture and identity while offering a fresh, contemporary sound that resonates with global audiences. From chart-topping hits to new tracks bursting with energy, Hip Hop Tamizha's concert promises a spectacular blend of rhythmic storytelling, magnetic stage presence, and exhilarating dance numbers.
And that is what fans can expect when Hip Hop Tamizha and their crew descent down in Kuala Lumpur for the 'Return of the Dragon' concert at KL Base in Sungai Besi on Aug 3.
Adhi's first exposure to rap came when his neighbour showed him Michael Jackson's "Jam".
His interest in hip hop music started developing in the tenth grade. He uploaded rap songs to the internet and got positive responses from people expressing interest in his music, who also encouraged him to start rapping in Tamil.
His decision to rap in Tamil rather than English was made, in his words, to avoid looking like a "wannabe"
Adhi named his account on the video-sharing site in YouTube as "Hiphop Tamizha", with a profile picture of the Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, to avoid being caught by his parents.
Adhi's father had initially opposed his choice to pursue music professionally.He wanted Adhi to pursue higher studies, but gave him a year to do what he wanted, with the only constraint being that Adhi should not expect any help from him. After realising that Adhi was "trying to do some good work", he encouraged his son's musical interests. Adhi then moved to Chennai to "try [his] luck". The rest they say is history.
For the record, Adhi is no slouch when it comes to his education either. And whenever he acts in movies, he is always there to remind moviegoers the importance of education and how much it will a person to the ladder of success.
Adhi studied at Chavara Vidya Bhavan and Electrical Engineering at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology.
He holds a state-level rank in Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test and is a graduate in Master of Business Administration from the Department of Management Studies, University of Madras. As of October 2014, he was doing a PhD course at Bharathiar University, which he completed in June 2015. As for Jeeva, he is an alumnus of Loyola College, Chennai.
Hip Hop Tamizha has always been super well-know for their live acts. In December 2010, Hiphop Tamizha performed live at "One Chennai, One Music", (an event organised by Radio One to promote independent music in Chennai), which was one of the band's first major gigs as underground artist. That started their route to success in live shows.
In November 2011, Adhi and Bharadwaj Balaji performed at Astra, the two-day inter-school cultural festival of Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram, Kilpauk. September 2012 was one of Hiphop Tamizha's busiest months, with the band singing at Madras Christian College's "Deepwoods", Dr G R Damodaran College of Science's Brand Expo 2012, Loyola College's Ovations, Kilpauk Medical College's Pradharshini and Alagappa College of Technology's Sampradha.
On 4 May 2013, Hiphop Tamizha appeared live at Madras Music Academy in a concert organised by SS International. Adhi performed for the second time at Madras Music Academy in October 2014, this time as part of SS International's nine-day concert Navotsavam. In July 2015, Adhi sang at Isai Sangamam, a musical event organised by the NGO Raindropss. He also performed live at a January 2016 concert named Nenje Ezhu to raise funds for victims of the 2015 South Indian floods.
His collaborations with mega superstar Anirudh Ravichander is also well documented. Though Adhi initially expressed no interest in singing or composing for films,he and Jeeva have contributed to numerous cinematic works.
Adhi sang his first film song, titled "Thapellam Thappe Illai" (composed by Vijay Antony) for Naan in 2012.
He also sang the title track of Ethir Neechal (2013) (composed by Anirudh Ravichander) accompanied by Punjabi rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh. Also in 2013, Adhi wrote "Sudden Delight", which was composed by Santhosh Narayanan and performed by Rob Mass for Soodhu Kavvum.
In May of that year, Adhi again collaborated with Anirudh Ravichander to perform the song "Chennai City Gangsta" along with Hard Kaur for Vanakkam Chennai. Adhi's third collaboration with Anirudh was for Kaththi (2014) where he performed the song "Pakkam Vanthu".
But despite his numerous successes in movies and music, Adhi is well known to always love his humble beginnings of performing on live stage.
And to that corner, he promises an unforgettable event come Aug 3 at KL Base in Sungei Besi.
