| Shattering the barriers of music, Panjabi MC (P) was one of the first Asian rappers the world had ever known. P's first piece of equipment was a sampler called a Roland S10, which he used to loop the tracks. He began with traditional rap and hip-hop beats, but after he had been MCing and DJing for a couple of years, he started adding desi samples to the music. From there he began to have live artists perform on his background tracks, and the very original sound that is P was born. If combining desi, and East Asian vocals and instruments with rap and hip-hop were not revolutionary enough, P also had a very original mixing style: “I would also MC live lyrics on top of the music. In those days no one mixed like that and the more mixes I did the more shows I got. Eventually I ended up with about 15 tracks that were incredibly PHAT! These included tracks like 'Lambrah di Noh', 'Giddia Di Rani' and so many other unheard mixes that still haven't been pirated.”
His first release was a controversial rap song called 'Rootz'. An independent label released this single. It was recorded live from a dub plate that P had made to play at clubs and his community radio show. "I had this dub plate that I had made called 'Rootz' it was a crowd rocker. It started with freestyle that I used to bust and the crowd used to love it, so I recorded it in Pete's studio NEOPHYTE, over the dub plate". There was a big response to the track but it was banned straight away due to internal politics within the 'bhangra industry'. "At this time I got to meet a lot of people who were into music. After this I found out that a few people had heard of me. Some people knew me for 'Rootz' and some had seen me live". P did some television slots and worked with producers from a wide range of music. P was offered various deals from the bhangra labels. "Nachural gave me a chance but at the end of the day they wanted to promote their own material. I agreed to make 2 releases because I wanted people to hear my hip-hop style desi. However, all the vocals had to be taken from the Nachural catalogue. I started working on my first Bhangra release, 'Souled Out' which took me around 3 months. I wasn't happy with the vibe so much but I knew that it would get noticed. This album turned a lot of heads and put PMC on the map. Both 'Souled Out' and the follow up release 'Another Sellout' obtained PMC's first NO 1's and created a new sound within Bhangra. This also gave PMC his first taste of mainstream success with the remix of 'I Need Some Money' obtaining a chart position in the Independent Hip-Hop Chart, distributed by Jetstar Records.
100% Proof' was released in 1995 as the first Desi hip hop album after Nachural Records obtained clearance for 2 Kuldeep Manak Tracks. Desi heads now regard this album as one of the classics of all time in Bhangra. '100% Proof' put PMC on the map as the biggest UK DJ Producer and the album was a phenomenal success. track that has now become the Bhangra National Anthem 'JIND MAHI'." In 1996 'Grass Roots' became an instant classic album. It was a phenomenal international success. 'Grass Roots' brought the desi vibe to the world and desi became the in thing. "I heard everyone playing desi music in their cars. Next thing I knew they were pulling out the desi classics". After the success of '100% Proof' and 'Grass Roots' there were various singles released which included ' Jat Ho Giya Sharabee' and ' Mirza Part 2'. Both singles were taken from the much-anticipated 'Legalised' album. This was the biggest selling bhangra album ever released. The album became Nachural Records biggest hit, staying at No 1 for longer than any tape before it. Not only did it sell more units than any tape but it was the first hit tape at a £5 retail price, giving the bhangra industry that much needed boost but also giving PMC recognition as one of the top DJ producers in the world. "Everyone loves that tape whether they are white, black or brown. I really want to cross this whole thing over to the mainstream. I want to mix tracks that are loved across the board.”
Panjabi is on MySpace!
Official Panjabi MC Site. {youtube}v/NyTnBiq5Prg/youtube} |
