Fejo (rapper)
Fejo | |
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Origin | Kochi, Kerala, India |
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2009–present |
Febin Joseph better known by his stage name Fejo, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala who started his solo career professionally in 2009.[1][2] Rapping in Malayalam, Fejo has worked with music composers including Raftaar, Sushin Shyam, Deepak Dev, Shaan Rahman, Jakes Bejoy, Rahul Raj.[3][4] He is considered one of the pioneers of Malayalam Rap, noted for his socio political themes & commercially performing tracks.[5][6][7]
He started his Indie music career in 2009 and has popularized the subversive music genres in Kerala and experimenting with different genres, predominantly Hip Hop/Rap in Malayalam. He has performed in various concerts including MTV Hustle, Comedy Utsavam, Flowers Top Singer, Star Singer and concerts like Breezer Vivid Shuffle, Mirchi Music Awards 2020, Mazhavil Music Awards, Para Hip Hop Fest etc.[8][9][10]
He is best known for the theme song "Thalayude Vilayattu" from the Mohanlal starrer Aaraattu, "Aparaada Panka" from the movie Maradona starring Tovino Thomas, "Ayudhameduda" from the movie Ranam starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, "Ee Thazhvara" from the movie Athiran starring Fahad Fazil etc. He is also known for his singles "Malsaram Ennodu Thanne", "Theruvinte Kalakaran", "Avasaram Tharu", "Dorothy", "Koottilitta Thatha" , "Vere Level",[11] "Koode Thullu"[12][13] and "Mahanubhavulu" [14]
Personal life
[edit]Febin also known as Fejo was born to Joseph and Leonitha in Vytilla, Kochi. He has completed B.Tech. in Electrical and Electronics before entering to the movie industry.[15]
Career
[edit]Fejo began his professional journey in the music and entertainment industry in 2009.
He has collaborated with several music composers, including Sushin Shyam, Sam CS, Bijibal, Stephen Devassy, Sekhar Menon, Masala Coffee, Girish Nakod.[16][17]
His first rap for a feature film came in May 2018 with the song Aparaada Panka for the movie Maradona, starring Tovino Thomas. The song was a major success, crossing over 1.6 million views on YouTube. In September 2018, he contributed rap verses for the song Ayudhameduda in the film Ranam starring Prithviraj Sukumaran. Later in April 2019, he rapped for the song Ee Thazhvara from Athiran, starring Fahad Fazil, and in 2021 he performed rap in the song Naade Naattaare from the movie Operation Java starring Lukman Avaran & Balu Varghese.[18]
In 2022, he made his acting debut in the movie Naaradhan directed by Aashiq Abu starring Tovino Thomas & Anna Ben.[19] The same year, he also sang Thalayude Vilayattu with M.G. Sreekumar for the Mohanlal-starrer Aarattu. He collaborated on Nammal Onnale with Varkey for Netflix and worked with Deepak Dev for Meta’s Instagram 1 Minute Music campaign.
In 2023, Fejo composed and performed the opening song for Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5, hosted by Mohanlal.[20] He also sang for King of Kotha with Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal, & Jakes Bejoy, and performed in RDX for Sam CS. Additionally, he collaborated on Sambar for Def Jam India, alongside Thirumali and Dabzee.
In 2024, Fejo performed the opening act at the inaugural function of the Super League Kerala,[21] sharing the stage with DJ Sekhar, Stephen Devassy, Sivamani & Jacqueline Fernandez.[22][23][24][25][26] In October 2024, he became the first Malayalam rapper to perform in Red Bull 64 Bars with his track Top Tier Talk, created with Parimal Shais.[27] Later in 2024, Fejo made his Kollywood debut with the song Puli Yaaru Nari Yaaru, performed alongside Anthony Daasan, composed by Ajesh for the Tamil movie Alangu.
In December 2024, Fejo signed with Sony Music India and released his first song under the label, Aayiram Aura. The song gained attention and trended at number 3 on YouTube after its release.[28][29]
Filmography
[edit]Feature films
[edit]- As Rapper
Year | Film Title | Song Title | Music Composer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Maradona | Aparaada Panka[30] | Sushin Shyam[31] | Debut film |
2018 | Ranam | Ayudhameduda | Jakes Bejoy | with Ajaey Shravan & FuRa |
2019 | Athiran | Ee Thazhvara | PS Jayhari[32] | with Amrita Jayakumar |
Jeem Boom Bhaa | Kalathe Vellum Theeyeda | PS Jayhari | with Crishna | |
Kalki | Police Re Entry Song | Jakes Bejoy | ||
K Swag - Red Blue Black | lyrics with Joe Paul | |||
Under World | Paravakalini | Yakzan Gary Pereira & Neha Nair | with Sooraj Santhosh | |
2020 | Uriyadi | Olakkalu Seelakkalu | Ishaan Dev | with Rock Soman |
2021 | Operation Java | Naade Naattaare | Jakes Bejoy | with Thirumali |
Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan | Ashichu Mohichu Keshu | Nadirshah & Bijibal | ||
2022 | Aarattu | Thalayude Vilayattu[33][34] | Rahul Raj[35][36] | with M.G Sreekumar[37] |
Naadan Adi[38] | from Aaraattu OST | |||
Naaradan | Thannatthaan[39][40] | Sekhar Menon | with Manchild; lyrics and vocals | |
Pathrosinte Padappukal | Kali Kalam | Jakes Bejoy | ||
Trojan | Vandiyodu Shankara | Sejo John | ||
Ullasam | Ullasamo[41] | Shaan Rahman | ||
2023 | Pappa | Raghupati Raghava | Rahul Subrahmanian | |
Purusha Pretham | Amali[42][43] | Ajmal Hasbulla | ||
Janaki Jaane | Udal Manam | Sibi Mathew Alex | ||
Vaathil | Jeevithamenna Thamaasha[44] | Sejo John | with Shahabaz Aman | |
King of Kotha | Kalapakkaara[45][46] | Jakes Bejoy | with Shreya Ghoshal & Benny Dayal | |
King of Kotha - Title Track[47] | Shaan Rahman | with Nithya Mammen | ||
RDX | Mura Padichathu | Sam CS | for RDX OST | |
Adiyodadi | ||||
Dance Party | Vittu Pidi[48][49] | Rahul Raj | ||
2024 | Oru Kattil Oru Muri | Rukmangadhavidhi[50][51][52] | Varkey | with Narayani Gopan |
Alangu | Puli Yaaru Nari Yaaru | Ajesh | Tamil Debut Film. with Anthony Daasan |
[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]
As Actor
Year | Film Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Naaradan[65] | Mudiyan[66] | Acting debut |
Discography
[edit]Songs featured
[edit]Year | Song Title | Featuring Artists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Shuffle Track 2.0 (Live Life in Color) | Raftaar & Varun Dhawan | for Breezer Vivid Shuffle |
2019 | I Live the Metro Life[69] | Masala Coffee | for Kochi Metro Rail Limited |
2022 | Urula[70] | Bijibal, Soumya Ramakrishnan | International Dance Day (for Dancity) |
Nammal Onnalle | Varkey, Blesslee | for Netflix India (Onam Song)[71] | |
Supply Anthem | Shabareesh Varma, Varkey | for Entri Elevate | |
Aiwa | Deepak Dev | for Meta (Instagram 1 Minute Music) | |
2023 | Surangani | Masala Coffee | for Ektara Album |
Yodhakkal Original[72] | Thudwiser | for Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 | |
Sambar[73] | Thirumali & Dabzee | for Def Jam India[74][75] | |
2024 | Utharam Para | AbRaw | for Saina Music Indie |
2024 | Top Tier Talk | Parimal Shais | for Red Bull 64 Bars[76] |
2024 | Aayiram Aura[77] | Jeffin Jestin | for Sony Music India[78] |
Television
[edit]Music and reality shows
[edit]Year | Show | Judges / Artists | Co Artists / Guests | Host | Channel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Breezer Vivid Shuffle | Raftaar | Deep Kalsi, Girish Nakod | Vineeth Beep Kumar | MTV India | for Grand Finale 2018 |
2019 | MTV Hustle | Raftaar, Nucleya, Raja Kumari | MC Altaf, Rapper Big Deal, Raiychu | Gaelyn Mendonca | MTV India | for Grand Finale 2019 |
2019 | Comedy Utsavam | Tini Tom, Kalabhavan Prajod, Shaju | Mithun Ramesh | Flowers TV | Ep. 396 | |
2019 | Comedy Utsavam | Sudheesh, Thesni Khan, Kalabhavan Prajod | Adarsh ADJ[79] | Mithun Ramesh | Flowers TV | Ep. 495 |
2020 | Para HipHop Festival | Aashiq Abu, Bijibal, Shahabaz Aman | Blesslee | DJ Sekhar & Sreenath Bhasi | Kochi Music Foundation | Season 1 |
2021 | Mirchi Music Awards | with Chandan Shetty, Bjorn Surrao & Roll Rida | Blesslee & Adarsh ADJ | Shilpa Bala | Asianet | for Mirchi Malayalam |
2021 | Top Singer | M.G Sreekumar, Innocent, Afsal, Rahul Raj | Nadirshah, Aparna Balamurali | Meenakshi Anoop | Flowers TV | Ep. 5 (Star Nite) |
2021 | Bumper Chiri Agosham | Manju Pillai, Sabumon, Naseer Sankranthi | Adarsh ADJ, Baiju Santhosh | Karthik Surya | Mazhavil Manorama | Ep. 1 |
2021 | Bumper Chiri Agosham | Manju Pillai, Sabumon, Naseer Sankranthi | Adarsh & Ardhra, Thankachan Vithura | Karthik Surya | Mazhavil Manorama | Christmas Special |
2022 | Star Singer | K.S Chithra, Sharreth, G. Venugopal | Stephen Devassy, Suraj Venjaramoodu | Jewel Mary | Asianet | Ep. 75[80] |
2022 | Mazhavil Music Awards | with Stephen Devassy | Indulekha Warrier | Swasika | Mazhavil Manorama | for ManoramaMAX[81] |
2023 | Comedy Utsavam | Tini Tom, Kalabhavan Prajod | Adarsh ADJ | Mithun Ramesh | Flowers TV | Season 3 Ep. 31 |
2023 | Bigg Boss Malayalam | Mohanlal | Asianet TV | Season 5 Ep. 1[82][83] |
References
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TNIE catches up with Kerala's pioneering beatboxer Adrash 'ADJ'
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