By Dikshita Nahar
S
ome people leave a mark on the world that lives on forever. One such person who brought the Punjabi community into the limelight and made them feel proud about being a Punjabi, no matter where they live, was Sidhu Moosewala. Sidhu Moosewala is a self-made legend who was brutally killed at the age of 28 on May 29, 2022, while driving near his native village of Moosa in India’s Punjab state in a car with two associates. “Ni Ehda Uthuga Jawani Ch Janaja Mithiya” which translates to the funeral will happen in youth, was a line from his song - The Last Ride, that was released in May, just before his death. It gathered over 90 million views since then and it features the iconic crime scene where American rapper Tupac was murdered in his BMW in 1996. Shockingly, he met the same fate on May 20, 2022 which left millions across the world in shock and disbelief. In his last music video - The Last Ride, he stated that - “Many hated him, and many died wanting him... everything is revealed in the eyes of the young boy”, which seems like a truth being spoken about himself. Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, who is popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, hailed from a farmer’s family from Mansa district’s Moosa village in Punjab. He was an electrical engineer who graduated from Ludhiana’s Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College in 2016 and later moved to Toronto where he pursued higher studies and released his first song “G Wagon” in 2017. His father, Balkaur Singh, is a retired government employee and a farmer, while mother Charan Kaur is the sarpanch or head of the Moosa village. He JULY | AUGUST 2 022 76 gained Reflecting immense popularity The South-Asian Lifestyle with his track
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“So High” in 2018 which made him a global name. His debut album PBX1 ranked 66th on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and his hit single 47’ was ranked on the UK singles chart. His track “Bambiha Bole” also entered the top 5 list on the global YouTube music chart. The Moosetape tracks released in 2021 also garnered global popularity. Moosewala also later officially launched his record label 5911 records and most of his songs highlighted the Jatt Sikh Community. He made sense of the chaos faced through his songs which formed a deep connection between him & his fans. He made it big in every sense. Sidhu Moosewala was one of the first people who showed their unwavering support for the farmer’s protest which highlighted agitation against three farm laws on September 25, 2020. He even participated in the bandh in Mansa village. His unwavering support motivated other Punjabi singers to join the Farmer’s protest and support it. With a career that lasted for just four years, Sidhu Mossewala has become one of the most influential and prominent faces of Punjab’s blooming hiphop scene. From Delhi’s flamboyant parties to radios at tea stalls in rural India as well as every radio channel in Punjab to stereos on the streets of Canada, you can hear his songs blare and bring in a sense of belonging for Punjabis around the world. He has released three albums and more than 60 singles since 2017, with his latest track - SYL released after his death. He used to write, sing and compose at least one song a week. He had become a household name in Punjab and among Sikhs living across the world. His music was heavily TM influenced by the genre of gangster rap that
featured guns and fancy cars and showed that he was making sense of the life around him. With an unpolished commentary on the dark underbelly of rural Punjab that is influenced by drugs, crime and corruption, his lyrics struck a chord with the general audience, making him one of their own. Rap music as a genre often has lyrical expressions of revenge which has been captured in his songs too. One such example is stated in his hit track Jatt da Muqabla where he says “Don’t flutter so high, you birds, for if I want, I can buy the sky.” Sidhu Moosewala has not been a stranger to controversies. He has been criticized for promoting gun culture through his songs and his affinity for it can be seen in his Instagram posts too. He has never been afraid of stating things as they are and bringing the grim realities to the forefront. Since his death, fans and celebrities alike have paid their tribute and expressed their grief through social media. Drake paid a tribute to him by playing his songs 295 and G-Shit during his debut as a radio host for his show Table for One. Diljit Dosanjh, a celebrity singer and actor, paid an emotional tribute to late singer Sidhu Moosewala during his Vancouver show where he said “It is impossible to erase his name from heart”. Kapil Sharma, the famous comedian and actor also paid an emotional tribute to him during his show in Vancouver by singing his songs and having his visuals played in the background. Sidhu Moosewala recently got a special tribute at New York’s iconic Times Square. Huge billboards played clips of his song as fans stopped by to cheer for him.
Picture courtesy: globalnews.ca
