Scottappan’s Thazhnna Thudakkam Album Review

(Explicit Language Warning)

Album Link:

https://open.spotify.com/album/691GEaPNS7DqZa8DJZ9XSj?si=nW9hsOZnQ4-5B69jEzAZeQ

Today I am reviewing an album from artist GWS. I will cover the music and meaning without spoiling the entire story. His third studio album Scottapan’s Thzhnna Thudakkam was released earlier this year. The album genre is Malayalam hip-hop. Listed below are all the song names translated to English in order.

Track #1: nere Intro (straight intro)

Track #2: they they they (they they they)

Track #3: aadum nee (you are a sheep)

Track #4: paadi paadi (sing and sing)

Track #5: swapnum (dream)

Track #6: athanu scene (that is scene)

Track #7: samadhanam purathu (peace is out)

Track #8: thirike vannu (came back)

Track #9: enikku ariyam (I know)

Track #10: tt-interlude (interlude)

Track #11: enikku vendi (for me)

Track #12: thazhnaa thudakkam (low start)

Track #13: thalle kalipp (motherfucker)

Track #14: kayy vitta outro (hands out outro)

Listening this album and trying to understand the meaning was a big challenge. I have only spent a few weeks trying to relearn Malayalam. I am still very rusty and do not yet know many words. I tried my best to translate the song names above. The name of the album gives a clue to its meaning. Scottapan is a name so no need to translate that. Thzhnna means low or below. Thudakkam means the start or beginning. The name of the album translates roughly to Scottapan’s low start or Scottapan’s underground beginnings. The album is about the difficulty he has faced and from a lyrical sense it excels. The lyrics have deep meaning and heartfelt.

Now the other equally important part of the album is the sound. This album sounds AMAZING. It is definitely in my top 10 albums released this year. This is no surprise for GWS fans as he consistently puts out quality work. There is a great mix of songs and good transition throughout the album. The first three songs start of very chill. He is setting the stage lyrically for the rest of the album. Songs four through the interlude have character. They are all very catchy and lyrically stand out. Number four and five are my personal favorites from this album. You can really feel the passion he has expressed in these two songs. The last four songs have stronger backtracks and more intensity I feel. It does a great job of ending the album on a strong note.

After to listening to the album and analyzing it, what would I rate it. I would give this album a solid 9/10. Let me explain why. The album does a great job with the lyrics and storytelling. You can tell how much effort went into this. The album also had many features from other up and coming Malayali artists. The features all sounded great and contributed well to the sound of the album. The music itself sounded great. It has a similar sound to Scottapan’s Vibes. That was GWS first studio album. That is also one of the favorite albums and he has even sampled one of the songs from that album for a song on this album. He sampled part of Poombata Effect for part of Thalle Kalipp. This really helps tie his albums togethers. This is also why he didn’t get a 10/10. Despite the wonderful sound of this album, he did not do something revolutionary. His first album introduced a Western-inspired sound with a Malayali story. It was so unique and executed beautifully. In this new album he has stuck to his previous formula and has not innovated enough to grant him a maximum score.

I would like to highly recommend Scottapan’s Thazhnna Thudakkam to all my readers. The album is a great example of modern Malayali music. The artist who made it, GWS, is also an up-and-coming name in the industry. Be sure to follow him and listen to more of his work. Thank you to all my readers!