Panjabi MC

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Panjabi MC is the artist name of Rajinder Singh Rai, a British rapper, producer and DJ. He was born in 1973 in Coventry, to parents from the Indian state of Punjab. His name comes from the Punjabi that he raps and spins in his music. His aim is to bring bhangra and hip hop together, two worlds that he knows well. He got a contract with Nachural Records after he had made a remix of Ghariah Milan De, a song by Kuldeep Manak.

Music and breakthrough

His first successful record was Mundian To Bach Ke, in Punjabi Beware of the Boys. The song was on the 1998 album Legalised. It combines bhangra with the recognisable bass line from the television series Knight Rider. At first it was an underground hit on the internet. Then the German label Superstar Recordings picked it up, and in 2002 it became a big hit in Europe, including in Germany and Britain. In 2003 a version with the American rapper Jay-Z appeared. In the same year Jogi came out. His early singles and the Jay-Z version brought bhangra to a worldwide audience via the BBC. Later came, among others, Indian Timing (2008), on which he used a vocal sample by Ofra Haza, and 56 Districts (2019).

Influence

AllMusic called him one of the best-known names in bhangra. His work shows how the music of the Punjabi community in Britain won a place of its own in world pop, by mixing traditions with hip hop and television music.

Listening

• 
  Mundian To Bach Ke · Panjabi MC, 2002
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1993Souled Out
• 1994Another Sellout
• 1995100% Proof
• 1997Mirza Part Two
• 1998Legalised
• 2000Switchin'
• 2001Dhol Jageero Da
• 2002Desi
• 2003Beware
• 2003Grass Roots
• 2003The Album
• 2005Steel Bangle
• 2008Indian Timing
• 2010The Raj
• 201956 Districts
• ?Illegal
• ?Indian Breaks
• ?Panjabi MC

Mentioned in other articles

• Bhangra GenrePanjabi MC combined bhangra with hip hop: Mundian To Bach Ke became a hit across Europe in 2002.