Rappers ADK and Jack’ Styles Look Back at ‘Thrilling’ O2 London Concert

Last month, rappers ADK aka Dinesh Kanagaratnam, Jack’ Styles and more laid claim to performing at the first-ever Tamil hip-hop concert at London’s mainstay venue Indigo at The O2. The Rap Indie concert on March 28th also included Indian-origin artist Iykki Berry, Malaysia-origin rapper-singer Sri Rascol, DJ Mass and singer Krish Manoj on the lineup.

From the outset, ADK – the Sri Lankan-origin Tamil rapper who’s worked with the likes of A.R. Rahman and even performed at the O2 last year as part of the composer’s ensemble – says that they weren’t worried about ticket sales or turnout. “What matters is that we were the first to do this kind of concert for independent music,” he says.

The rapper says it took months of planning to put together the Rap Indie showcase. “My belief is that you don’t necessarily have to do a show with famous people, you do it with people who are talented,” ADK adds. The concert, which grew out of the idea of Rahman’s rap medley section of his performance at the O2, also marked the first project by ADK’s company Madhouse Production, Chennai company Aasett and entertainment firm Golden Buzzer. The idea behind the show, according to ADK, was to give new and rising artists a chance to unlock a different audience.

Chennai’s gruff-voiced rapper Jack’ Styles got the chance to do exactly that when he was approached by ADK to join the Rap Indie lineup in London. Styles – joined by the Joshua Gopal Collective as his band – brought his inimitable high-energy rap and rock combo, saying it was all about “rage on the stage.” With the London done, Styles has releases coming up, including movie projects and collaborations.

ADK, for his part, brought in artist Charles Bosco for a special appearance for the show as well, in addition to performing his new and well-known songs. Following the London gig, the rapper is now working to unveil his merchandise business, Madhouse Drops. “This is my dream project and I want to think my entire team who have worked really hard,” ADK says. There’s a song coming out to promote Madhouse Drops, plus another single with rapper Nixon. He adds, “Then I’m going to also bring Rap Indie to Australia, Malaysia and then Chennai and Sri Lanka. These are big plans, so let’s see what’s gonna happen.”