A Blog About Making Culture
Hip Hop Hindi?
May 4, 2003
My cousin in California sent me the following email, but I haven't kept up enough with our local hip hop stations enough to know if we've had the same trend on the radio in NYC. I figure some of you are more up to date on this, so leave any relevant comments below if you know what's up.
We are experiencing a weird phenomenon here in LA and I was curious if it was also in NY. Our hip-hop stations are playing Hindi music. I don't mean sampling Hindi music in a hip-hop song, I mean just plain Hindi music. DJ Quik seems to be doing it the most, but every time I turn on the radio I feel like I am at an Indian wedding where the DJ switches between Hindi music and hip-hop. My favorite was on Saturday night, where they played a semi-slow Hindi film song and then played 'it ain't no fun if the homies can't have none'. Is this happening in NY?
So, does your local DJ throw some masala in the mix?
Previously: GEL writeup
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Looks like you’re not keeping up. I’ve heard bhangra blaring at Taco Bell and MTV 2 is playing it as well. It’s all downhill from here—next, they’ll be playing Indian rip-off versions of Western songs on Western stations.
Andrea
Yep, some of the stations here in NYC are doing the same thing … at first I thought the frequencies were somehow crossed … but it’s not … they’re just jumping on the bandwagon. It’s frickin’ eerie I tell ya.
Rajan
103.5 KTU has featured artist: Punjabi MC’s song, “Beware of the Boys” as the #1 song for the past week. It is not sampling the instrumental, it’s the straight Punjabi Bhangra with the Knight Rider techno beat cleverly mixed in.
This isn’t unusual, the affluent young Indian population has integrated itself into the gangsta-rap and Hip Hop culture more so than any other race. So seeing commercialized rappers like Jay Z ride the Indian beats to tap the desi market was only expected.
I think NY’s KTU is the first radio station to play a pure Indian song, without any English voiceovers to add a (if translated) nonsensical meaning to the song.
KTU recently just finished pumping Angelo Venuto’s “Tiamo”, sung entirely in Italian (and remixed by the Sicilian Assassins).
If you’re on Kazaa, I recommend Tiamo and Punjabi MC to anyone with an open mind.
Leonard
Bhangra is indeed becoming a fave of hip-hop DJs, both alone and used as backbeat material. Here in Chic, there’s a whole bhangrahop subculture that’s produced some pretty terrific stuff.
d
i havent noticed too much hindi music on the radio in san francisco. i do hear some of it being played with hiphop on the college stations sometimes though.
heather
My husband and I were sitting around with MTV2 as background noise and we heard Hindi music. We thought for sure it had to be one of those weird in-between non-videos they sometimes show, but it was an actual video. I don’t quite understand why it was considered hip-hop, however, because most American hip-hope they play on MTV2 is awful and this seemed to actually be a product of some talent.
Morgan
Of course, all attempts to get Daler Mehndi on TRL have failed so far…
Menc
I think it must be a worldwide trend; we’ve got it happening over here in the UK as well.
Ms. Jen
Two LA rock stations have also been using Hindi music for intros to station announcements and promotions. Both stations, KROQ and Arrow 93.1, are owned by Clear Channel and both have the same person doing their programming.
MadMan
Arrey, unko bhi Hindi gane sunne do yaar. Achhi baat hai.
Andre Torrez
Jen’s right. In fact last Friday night on KROQ (hey, it’s Alternative) they played something in the regular rotation that I will assume was Hindi music. Even stranger was that it was in a block of straight up, misplaced, hip-hop.
victor
Digant C Kasundra
Hey, anyone remember a band called Cornershop? They rocked! I hope they get big now that people are into the indian influence.
daver
Yeah, I remember them. They did that song Brimful of Ashes or something.
toni
It’s played on a lot of stations in CA. I’ve got to say, it’s an interesting mix of sounds and cultures. Here’s an article to check out: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/2003/03/16/living/5405728.htm
DJSUBg
Just a bit of clarification. The band Cornershop did hit it big - in the U.K. They have a side project called Clinton. The song was called “Brim Full of Asha” after Asha Bhosle (the second most famous ‘playback’ singer in India after her sister Lata Mangeshkar).
Vasta
Bhangra was all the club craze while I was in DC, with the most prominent hip hop DJs using the music to excite the crowd and diversify their playlists. However, the Hindi influence on the radio was scarce if any.
Here in Toronto, still no Lata Mangeshkar on popular radio, but she’s becoming regular rotation in the clubs (remixed, of course). Popular urban radio stations are using bhangra as intro and background music, and you even hear the occasional Daler Mehndi pop up from time to time.
It’s just a matter of time.
Les
I was perdicting this trend to friends twelve months ago (more that american music would take an east indian flavor - then the music itself becoming popular over here). I kind of thought the latest Gulf war would curb this trend - but I guess I was wrong ….
You must know, that this can only mean that Disco will come back into vogue?
shudders
crusher!
“My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves”
argument
just saw the asian dub foundation here a couple of days ago (sixth time). seems to me the asian scene is taking over the flag of political engagement that hip-hop has long lost!
adnan
it’s happening in florida too.
Saima
We had Punjabi MC in our top ten charts last year. The surreal moment was when they performed on Top of the Pops.
Cousin from CA
Interesting. I had been hearing Bhangra for a while for intros and such. Now I am hearing Lata Mangeshkar-esque Hindi film songs. Ms. Jen, I am really surprised to hear that KROQ has followed suit. Thanks for the info.
demonsurfer
DON’T PANIC! it will pass
pops
Hmmmm…
Greetings from Seattle where it’s a three hour drive to Vancouver. As such we’re used to Bollywood and Indian videos. Proximity to BC makes that stuff pretty available here.
Isn’t this taking Corner Shop to the next logical step?
Ms. Jen
Cousin from CA,
I do not lie to you, KROQ played Hindi music as an intro to one of the promos the other day.
On another note, I saw the Asian Dub Foundation a couple of years back at SXSW at Stubbs and was very impressed.
Sean
There’s a little all-night Punjabi fast-food place in the Village on First Street between First and A, I believe, that’s very popular with drunk bar hoppers and Sikh taxi drivers. They pump the Bhangra beats and sell Punjabi tapes to inebriated customers. Anyway I was in there about a year ago at 4 in the morning and it was packed with people from Jay-Z’s entourage, eating curry and picking out tapes. Wonder if that place had anything to do with this trend getting going in New York.
Ramya
It’s certainly happening in the Seattle radio.
adampsyche
Princeton radio on weekend mornings all the way, baby.
ElectricChiclet
No, our hip-hop DJs aren’t playing any Hindi music, but our only Hard Rock station recently started playing Hip-Hop. It’s a conspiracy.
Karim
So I am walking down Newbury Street in Boston yesterday. And this young African American dude in a souped up SUV is blasting, literaly blasting Bhangra music out his speakers. I was like what? This is so bizaro. But then I listen to MC Solaar without comprehending a word of French!
Great cultural mixing!
Kyren
There’s even a bhangra-mix in charts here in the Netherland, so I guess it’s an overall trend. But then again, I saw tissues with an illustration of Krishna the other day, and I didn’t really know what to think of that…
Panjab Da Munda
The Punjabi MC song with the Knight Rider remix has been playing at Punjabi parties for at least 4 years now. Personally I think it’s great that Americans are getting a taste of what fusion-bhangra sounds like. Jay-Z’s lyrics I could do without, but you can’t always have your cake and eat it too…
Agripino
Eeerie synchronicity: an Asian Dub Foundation song started here on xmms while I was reading these comments… I wish they’d come back for some shows in Brazil…
Dänté
I am Franco- African American but my girlfriend is Hindu and speaks Kannada and I enjoy all types of diverse music where I am in Florida but there isn’t too much Hindi influence in the radio these days. The computer is really useful in finding good music. I actually stumbled over this website when searching “Famous Hindu Rappers” on Google. I got some good names from the conversation here…
You don’t need to understand the words to feel what the artists intends. Let the music play and rejoice with your world neighbors.
Mohandas Gandhi: I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stiffled. I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible.
George
Hi everyone. I have been searching for a song I heard a while back (2003?) Now it’s 2006 and I only remember it very faintly. It was a hip hop song (sung by a Black girl) it had an Indian beat. Can anyone help me? Please email me your suggestions for the title/artist. I’m going crazy trying to remember it. Thanks!
Shina
I see which song you’re talking about! Actually, I’m in search of the same song : can anyone tell me the title? pleassseee
Teniel
I believe the song is Addictive by Truth Hurts. There was a lawsuit over the song so you may not be able to buy it online (itunes doesn’t have it).
Laura
Well this ‘bhangra wave’ is really catching on all over the world…I personally think it’s great this sound is reaching epidemic proportions!!. Anyway, these past couple of months I’ve been hearing this song that i really like, unfortunately I don’t know the name… or the lyrics for that matter given that the guy who sings has this kinda like west indie accent. This song is a mix between hip hop, raggea, and bhangra, (and again the guy sings in English to a hindi or punjabi beat)so if anyone has ever listened to it….help me!!! By the way, Torontoheartbhangra
Karen
I just heard a song on Friday. It was not Addictive by Truth Hurts as someone suggested above. But it had a black girl singing with an Indian beat. I loved it and thought I should look it up, but I forgot the lyrics by the time I got to work. I do remember that she sang basically the same three lines over and over and she was talking about a guy/boyfriend of some sort. I know that isn’t much, but I’m dying to find out what this song is!
shaila
if you like the fusion of hip hop and Bhangra and Bollywood or any kind of fusion indian/desi music you should check out www.desihits.com its awsome and embraces all music…
johnny
the song you with the indian beat is probably Oops (oh my) by Tweet if its not then just e-mail me becausi i know some more
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