Kodaikanal born and bred artist and songwriter Irfana Hameed finds herself immersing herself in her Tamil roots, Muslim culture, and femininity which unintentionally become the crux of her powerful poetry. The artist, originally trained in Carnatic vocals eventually found her calling in hip-hop and poetry during college. Since then, Hameed has produced work that ubiquitously speaks for a larger cause to invoke a deeper conversation.
In her latest release, Southside Menace, Irfana revisits the aggression, strength and power that her Tamil culture presented her with. The track features Irfana’s effortless finesse as a rapper backed by powerful verses that call out for unity, community power, and owning one’s own identity. Irfana does not deviate from her personal style that has a hint of mellow pop influences, however, her natural voice presents a far more fierce, experimental vigour.
The track was produced by Kerala-based artist Kalla Sha who has been at the forefront of producing some of hottest songs to have emerged from the industry in the past year. A power-packed music video was released alongside the track which features scenes from a kidaai muttu match, the ritualistic goat fights conducted in Tamil Nadu, particularly during local festivals.
The goat fight was an attempt at offering the audience a glimpse into the fierce animal kingdom and the vigour with which they take on their opponents. Irfana intends to reflect a similar approach to life and living and uses the fight as a powerful visual metaphor to deliver the message.
‘Southside menace’ by Irfana is now available for streaming across platforms. Stream it here.
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