A beginner’s guide to Punjabi hip-hop.
A brief introduction to the booming global genre.
artwork by Tanaya Vohra.
Jas Pratap Singh, a local Rajasthani chef in Jaipur, India, recently told me that both him and his kids are obsessed with Punjabi dance and rap music, even though they can’t understand the lyrics. He explained that the pace and energy of the songs are enough to captivate them. As a heavily whitewashed Punjabi myself, I was happy to hear this, because I struggle to understand even a quarter of the lyrics in my favorite Punjabi rap songs. For me, it’s all about the vibes.
There’s something particularly powerful about Punjabi hip-hop. It may be the pride present in every song, or maybe it’s the unique sound created by rapping in such a distinctive language. Either way, Punjabi hip-hop is worth knowing about, so here’s an introduction to the thriving genre that has caught the attention of both Punjabis and non-Punjabis around the world.
Let’s begin with the very basics. Punjab is an ethnic region that split during the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. The region consists of both the north-western Indian state of Punjab, as well as large areas of eastern Pakistan. The word “Punjabi” refers to people and things from Punjab as well as to the region’s unique language. There are an estimated 150 million Punjabis across the world with roughly 109 million in Pakistan and 38 million in India, along with significant immigrant populations of nearly 1 million in Canada, 700,000 in the U.K., and 250,000 in the U.S.
The genesis of Punjabi hip-hop can be traced to these large immigrant communities, especially in England and Canada. You see, we Punjabis are a prideful people—it’s a classic stereotype that we’ll always hype up our culture and tell everyone that we’re the best (because we are). So, as large communities of Punjabis have accumulated in the U.K. and Canada, our culture has not washed away; instead, it has thrived.
Punjabi pride and the need to retain a Punjabi cultural identity overseas has driven bhangra, a traditional form of Punjabi dance and music, into the spotlight across both North America and the U.K. And in the Punjabi immigrant populations in the U.K. and Canada, trends in Western music started to blend with the Punjabi language and musical traditions to give birth to the first instances of a new genre—Punjabi hip-hop.
The earliest examples of rapping in Punjabi songs emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s with artists such as the Canadian Punjabi Jazzy B and the British Punjabis Sukshinder Shinda and Dr. Zeus. All three artists were influential figures in the creation of a new style of Punjabi party music which blended elements of bhangra with hip-hop. Jazzy B’s “Rambo,” which was produced by Shinda, is a perfect example of the early style of Punjabi hip-hop created by immigrants. The song’s beat has some traces of traditional Punjabi instruments and melodies which it then combines with synths, strings, and electronic drums to create a unique twist on the classic sound of early-2000s hip-hop. With most of the track’s lyrics being in Punjabi, Jazzy B uses his iconic high-pitched, folk-style voice to mark the song as unapologetically Punjabi. Early bhangra/hip-hop fusion bangers such as “Rambo” remain extremely popular in the Punjabi community as practically any Punjabi living in any country has heard other similar tracks such as Dr. Zeus’s “Mitran De Boot” and Shinda’s “Soni Lagdi.”
But that was just the first wave. While the genre of Punjabi hip-hop didn’t evolve much during the early 2000s, the last decade has seen a massive boom—a second wave—in the world of Punjabi hip-hop.
collage by Arjun Bhakoo.
Sidhu Moose Wala, the leader of this newest wave of Punjabi hip-hop, is considered by many to have been the greatest and most influential Punjabi rapper of all time. Even though Sidhu only released music over a short five-year span between 2017 and 2022, the importance of his career in influencing modern mainstream Punjabi hip-hop cannot be underplayed. When Sidhu (who was born in Moosa, India) began his musical career as an immigrant in Canada, the raw grit of hip-hop hadn’t yet reached Punjabi artists. But hip-hop has the unique ability to garner mainstream popularity while also being a medium through which artists can discuss very real issues; Sidhu was the first artist to bring this power of hip-hop to Punjab. Topics like guns, gang violence, cars, and drugs were previously considered taboo in Punjabi culture, but Sidhu was unafraid to use the Western genre of hip-hop to discuss them.
My personal favorite track of Sidhu’s, “295,” is a perfect example of the rapper’s unique style.
Sidhu’s non-stop flow and gritty tone rope you into the song, and looking at the lyrics of the chorus (along with their English translation), the track also holds a strong message:
Nitt controversy crеate milugi
Dharma de naam te dеbate milugi
Sach bolenga ta milu 295
Jeh karenga tarakki putt hate milugi
Here people are creating controversy,
People debate in the name of religion,
If you speak the truth, you’ll be hit with 295,
If you succeed, son, they will hate you.
In these lyrics, Sidhu is referencing Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code, which regulates actions and speech that may offend others’ religious beliefs. Sidhu is expressing his anger with the way the Indian government has enforced this law; the lyrics indicate Sidhu’s belief that the law has been used to stifle free speech. Other lyrics in the song reflect Sidhu’s staunch support of education, free speech, and truth—values which are predominant themes not only of this song, but across Sidhu’s discography.
Sidhu has repeatedly cited Tupac Shakur as one of his primary sources of inspiration, comparing himself to the 90s hip-hop icon in his 2019 single “Homicide.” And, like Tupac, Sidhu embraced hip-hop as an expressive medium, using his platform as an artist for activism as he voiced his opinions on controversial topics. However, Sidhu suffered a fate regrettably similar to Tupac’s as he was tragically assassinated in 2022. But Sidhu’s legacy remains strong. Almost any fan of Punjabi hip-hop will acknowledge his greatness and influence in shaping the new wave of Punjabi rap which continues to thrive.
Currently, the most popular Punjabi rappers such as Karan Aujla and Shubh carry the torch first lit by Sidhu while also continuing to innovate in their raps.
Aujla began his musical career writing for older Punjabi artists such as Jassi Gill and the previously-mentioned Jazzy B, but his own tracks and bars have allowed him to slowly rise to fame over the last five years. 2023 was a fantastic year for Aujla as the rapper released both his Four You EP as well as Making Memories, his most popular album to date. Both were produced by Ikky, the Canadian Punjabi producer responsible for many of the best beats in modern Punjabi hip-hop. Making Memories contains several of Aujla’s most popular songs, including “Softly,” a dance and pop-inspired track that has also been remixed by Tiësto. Four You’s standout song is “52 Bars,” a certified banger with three minutes nonstop of Aujla’s best flow over a unique and punchy beat produced by Ikky.
Ikky is also the producer behind the hard-hitting beat of “Baller,” one of the most popular songs by Canadian Punjabi rapper Shubh. Shubh’s breakout hit was his 2021 single “We Rollin,” a song that has quickly become a classic among fans of Punjabi rap. The rapper followed this up in 2023 with his debut album Still Rollin, which includes equally popular tracks such as “Still Rollin” and “Cheques.” Shubh also put his talent on display with his 2023 single “One Love.” The track achieves an incredibly unique sound by combining a reggae-type beat with a laid-back Punjabi flow—it's truly something to behold and definitely worth the listen. Shubh’s 2024 EP Leo is also phenomenal, and if he can keep creating at this level, he undoubtedly has a long career ahead of him.
The artists most responsible for bringing Punjabi hip-hop into the mainstream, however, have not been the rappers, but rather the multi-genre pop stars.
Diljit Dosanjh is a veteran of the Punjabi music and film industries with extensive experience making both bhangra-style and Punjabi folk-style music. Dosanjh’s discography is probably the most diverse I’ve seen from any artist ever, and his fantastic 2023 album Ghost is evidence of that. The album contains catchy pop pieces such as “Kehkashan” and “Midnight Desires,” energetic bhangra songs such as “Case,” and smooth rap songs such as “Lalkara” and “Jatt Vailly.” Dosanjh’s unique ability as an all-rounder makes him popular among many different audiences across countries and generations. He’s even reached a level of global prominence which, in 2023, allowed him to be the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella.
AP Dhillon, the current poster boy of Punjabi pop and rap, shows similar diversity in his music. Dhillon is probably the best-known Punjabi artist in North America right now, with 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify and an Amazon Prime series documenting his journey to success as a Punjabi immigrant in Canada. The majority of the singer’s mainstream success has come from his pop songs such as “With You” and “Summer High,” which have caught the attention of many young Punjabis around the world. But Dhillon actually appeared on the Punjabi rap scene with his 2020 smash hit “Brown Munde,” a track responsible for putting many people on to the genre. Dhillon has continued to show his prowess as a rapper in songs such as the extremely catchy “Excuses,” “Majhail” (which samples the beat from Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?”), and his 2024 drill collaboration with Stormzy “Problems Over Peace.”
But those are just the most popular artists; there is also a whole treasure trove of smaller Punjabi artists who are quickly making a name for themselves in the rap game. Raf Saperra is a rising genre-bender who many compare to Jazzy B because of his high-pitched, folk-influenced vocals and his embrace of bhangra instrumentation. Saperra’s 2023 album Ruff Around The Edges is a good introduction to the young artist who is constantly innovating in his unique combination of bhangra, hip-hop, and dance music. While the album is a bit rough around the edges (pun intended), its brightest moments such as “Sappera (Gang Jatt Di)” and “Modern Mirza” display Saperra’s raw talent.
The rapper you really need to watch out for is Sukha, whose two 2023 EPs SWITCHIN’ LANES and UNDISPUTED mark him as one of the rising stars of Punjabi hip-hop. “8 ASLE,” the most popular song on UNDISPUTED, is well on its way to being Sukha’s most listened-to work, accumulating 42 million listens on Spotify and 54 million views on YouTube in the first five months since its release. The track combines a catchy beat produced by Prodgk, a hyper-smooth flow from Sukha, and sharp vocals from Gurlez Akhtar to create an all-around amazing listening experience. Other tracks from the EP such as “ARMED” and “GODFATHER” are equally phenomenal, and if Sukha keeps making hits at this pace, he will certainly rise to the level of prominence and popularity of other modern Punjabi artists.
Even if you don’t speak the language, I strongly encourage you to listen to the work of these Punjabi artists. Modern Punjabi rappers are constantly innovating and evolving, resulting in a genre that anyone can appreciate for its incredible diversity and liveliness. And there’s just something about Punjabi flows that makes them inherently distinct from English rap and worth experiencing. Listeners like Jas Pratap and myself are evidence of the fact that a strong understanding of the Punjabi language is by no means necessary for one to enjoy Punjabi hip-hop. That said, to help you in your exploration of the genre, I’ll leave you with some common Punjabi vocabulary and slang that can be found in almost any Punjabi rap song:
Jatt – a member of the Punjabi farming class
Gabru – a young (perhaps strong or good-looking) man
Munde – guys/people
Billo – a flirty word to call a cute girl
Soniye – pretty girl (also flirty)
Goriye – a white (or fair-skinned) girl
Vair – opps
Vailly – gangster/mobster
Hathyar/Asle/Bandook – weapon/arms/gun
Lalkara – a challenge/threat
Daru – alcohol
Nakhre – attitude/tantrums
Pyaar – love
Gaddi – car
Shehar – city
Pind – village
Mitran – (close) friend
Happy listening!
edited by Aidan Burt.
artwork by Tanaya Vohra.
collage by Arjun Bhakoo.