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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, October 5, 2003

Blend of India's bhangra, hip-hop gains momentum

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

As far as song titles go, "Mundian To Bach Ke" doesn't exactly roll easily off the tongue. But translate the Punjabi phrase to English, and remove a certain Beyonce-dating American rapper from the mix and you've still got an undeniably catchy hit that has brought international attention to a centuries-old form of rural folk music from Northern India called bhangra.

Panjabi MC's tasty slice of club-ready Indian hip-hop featuring Jay-Z "Beware of the Boys" is actually an Americanized version of the British bhangra producer's 1998 international hit "Mundian To Bach Ke." Minus only the Jay-Z rap, the song's distinctive bhangra mix of rhythmic drums, baaja (accordion-like instrument) and tumbi guitar; a truly funky synth sample from the "Knight Rider" theme; and Indian vocalist Labh Janjua's soaring, beat-riding Punjabi lyrics first hit big in England's South Asian community before finding its way into mainstream London clubs in 2001.

Jay-Z fell for the song's infectious charms earlier this year in a Swiss nightclub and decided to rap over it. Poof! Instant radio and club hit. The resulting hoo-ha has given new momentum to Panjabi MC's production career, his 2003 "Beware" CD containing both versions of the song, and bhangra music in general.

With musicians like Sean Paul and Lumidee gaining substantial mainstream fame for singles heavily dosed with the very same East Indian diwali rhythm sample, expect the success of bhangra via "Beware" to usher in even more fusions of hip-hop and Indian music — good and bad. Bhangra producer Rishi Rich has been fielding studio requests from artists as diverse as Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Craig David and Ricky Martin. And he's completed production work on an upcoming bhangra-laden single from Britney Spears.

Beware, indeed.