A country which is moving towards adopting advanced technology to make the lives of people easier is also quite blatant and vocal about its caste and class divide. This contrast has been highlighted in a peppy, fun manner in YouTuber Madan Gowri’s latest video song 'Monkeys with 5G', which is a music collaboration with Tamil rapper Arivu, of Therukural fame. The video was released on Monday and has garnered over 4.2 lakh views as of Wednesday morning.
The 4.05 minute-long video was shot on an iPhone using the animoji feature and shows Arivu, Madan Gowri and a quirky monkey in their animated forms. The song speaks of technology like 5G and how social media has invaded too much into our private lives. The line, “Monkeys with 5G, now follow me on IG, but moolaikkul jaathi adhu muththi pona vyaadhi,” is often repeated in the song, reiterating the underlying message.
The true message in between the subtle jibes at our tech-savvy selves is highlighted at the end of the song, where Madan Gowri affirms that the ‘monkey’ referred to in the song is all of us, who discriminate others based on identities.
The song also calls for those in the Android generation, who provide frequent updates of their lives, to come together and oppose the social ills that happen around them.
Rapper Arivu is known for his band Therukural, which makes songs with social commentary. His ‘Kallamouni’ produced by Pa Ranjith’s Casteless Collective made him popular. Arivu followed it up with a few videos from his own channel, Therukural, which also became famous due to the rebellious lyrics which emphasised social justice.
‘Monkeys with 5G’ has been penned by Arivu and the music has been composed by AC Anto Franklin. 'Error Culture' has produced this music video.
Watch: