MC Couper is a Kerala-based rapper and songwriter whose music blends intricate Malayalam lyricism with sharp social commentary and personal storytelling. After finding his voice through Malayalam rap with Nerchapaattu, he has built a catalogue that explores caste, class, ambition, self-doubt, and survival, while also becoming a prominent voice in Malayalam cinema through soundtracks and collaborations with artists including Hanumankind and producer Parimal Shais.
The first rap song Kerala-based rapper and songwriter MC Couper remembers hearing was by Eminem. His older brother introduced him to 'The Way I Am' around the time their family got a broadband connection, opening up a world that quickly became an obsession. From there came Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory', followed by Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A., Nas, Immortal Technique, and 50 Cent. As the years went by, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller joined that list. His playlist, though, was never limited to hip-hop. Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi film songs sat alongside Avial, Alter Bridge, Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, The Clash and Joy Division, while the music videos playing on early 2000s channels like MTV and 9XM filled in the gaps. Looking back, he sees every one of those artists and bands as an influence, especially those that carried a punk spirit in the way they approached music.
The artist started writing when he was in 12th grade before taking it much more seriously in college. At that point, rap wasn't a career plan as much as it was a way of measuring his own growth. "I just loved doing it because it became a marker of self-improvement," he recalls. "Even back in those early years, despite being as wack as I was, I could still see that I was getting better at it. So, I just kept going until I finally exhausted the other options in front of me and I understood that I can only do something that I'm passionate about. Rap was the way to go."
Like many Indian rappers of his generation, Couper initially wrote in English. That changed after he began experimenting with Malayalam, eventually finding a voice that felt entirely his own. It took nearly two years to develop his first Malayalam release, but the shift proved defining. 'Nerchapaattu' released in in 2019, a song that immediately stood apart in Malayalam hip-hop for the way it addressed caste, class, and structural inequality through vivid, everyday imagery. It set the tone for much of what followed. Across songs like 'Karirumb', 'Therapara', 'PAATHIRA', and 'OTTAMIND', he talks about people trying to find their footing in systems that often feel stacked against them, while weaving in stories of ambition, self-doubt, loyalty, and survival.
"I spent a large part of my youth getting disillusioned and humbled by the world around us. I believe we need people who consciously shape their own perspectives and think for themselves; people who have a strong moral code because there is so much injustice all around us. I hope that by speaking my mind, in the most entertaining or witty manner that I can, I can inspire people to do the same. As far as the feeling I want to leave them with is concerned, I want them to go and become 'domestic dragons' after listening to my songs."MC Couper
A track like 'DAYUMM' carries the force of a battle anthem, but underneath it sits a much more personal reflection on fear, growth and learning to move forward despite uncertainty. Elsewhere, songs like 'Ayyayyo' and 'AMBAMBO' bring swagger and technical showmanship to the forefront, celebrating the confidence that comes after years of honing a craft. Whether he's writing about structural injustice or his own experiences, Couper's verses are packed with layered structures, internal rhymes, and Malayalam wordplay that reward repeated listens. Instead of separating the personal from the political, his music lets the two exist side by side, showing how larger social realities often shape everyday life.
That same voice has travelled beyond independent music into Malayalam cinema. Directors and composers began taking notice after his early releases, leading to songs for films including 'Naradan', 'Romancham, 'Purusha Pretham', 'Aavesham' and 'Nadikar'. Along the way, collaborations with producer Parimal Shais have helped shape the sound of Kerala's underground rap landscape, while tracks with Hanumankind introduced his music to a much wider audience.
For an artist whose career has been built through collaborations, Couper still has a long wish list. He points to Dabzee, Fejo, and Vedan as artists he has known for years but has never shared a track with. Beyond them, he hopes to work with Sezonthebeat, Sambata, Seedhe Maut, Paal Dabba, and SA. “I think if SA and I get on a whole project together, we could make history,” he adds,
Catch MC Couper live at the Homegrown Music Showcase at the Humming Tree in Bengaluru next weekend and follow him here.
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