Sharing similar music tastes and many mutual friends, Malayalam hip-hop artist MC Couper and producer HRISHI have been on parallel journeys since they both debuted in 2020. What they haven’t done before is release a record together—until now. Their 2024 EP ARGA is a hip-hop journey with relentless rap sandwiched between folky samples and catchy bass licks. Opener “AMBAMBO” is a trap banger punctuated by traditional Kerala folk melodies, “OTTAMIND” is a moody number that sees Couper championing his focused vision and “PAATHIRA”, with its unabated rapid-fire lyrics, should leave you breathless.