Rumble in London: Dhadi meets Hip Hop
I found this new video that Mandeep Sethi released last month beautiful and inspiring.  Shot in London, the young San Francisco-based hip hop artist links up with a dhadi jatha for a freestyle session unlike any other. I’ve always loved the power, poignancy, and rhythm funkyness of dhadi jathas....
A taste of Inquilab via hip hop and poetry (part 1)
As Sundari blogged about a few days ago, we just had an exciting weekend of Sikh youth art and activism in the NY/NJ area.  I was lucky enough to sit in on the Sikh Coalition’s “Inquilab: Raising Our Voices” hip hop workshop for a few hours on Saturday and then ride the bus to New...
Mandeep Sethi’s Punjabi Gypsy Hip Hop Rebellion
A Review of Mandeep Sethi’s Poor Peoples Planet, released January 2011. With an unmistakably laid-back, West Coast hip hop sound, 22-year old Sikh rapper Mandeep Sethi brings us the dynamic and often incendiary (while maintaining the mellow Bay area vibes) Poor Peoples Planet. Inspired by the...
Saint Soldier on Farmer Suicides
Vancouver-based hip hop artist Saint Solider and singer Sukhraj recently released a moving single about farmer suicides in Punjab.  I won’t editorialize, as the song (and video) speaks for itself.  You can download the track on iTunes and by donation at bandcamp.
Turban Groove
I recently got turned on to this band BlackMahal from the San Francisco area, fronted by the legendary dholi Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti. According to the band’s website, “BlackMahal is steeped in Old California, a Punjabi-American experience that started in the 1890s when the first Punjabi-Americans...