The roots and evolution of Desi Hip Hop
What is Desi Hip Hop?
Before we answer this question, we need to briefly talk about Hip Hop. Hip Hop is a cultural movement that began in the early 1970s in the Black and Latino communities of the South Bronx, New York City. During a time when social and economic conditions were extremely volatile, Hip Hop gave the Black and Latino youth an outlet for self expression. Afrika Bambaata, also known as the godfather of Hip Hop, identified the five elements of Hip Hop as graffiti, DJing, breaking, MCing and knowledge. These elements together form a culture which did not have a name till the early 80s. Legendary breaker and Hip Hop icon Mr. Wiggles, who grew up in the South Bronx in the early 70s, described almost everyone who took part in the culture as being totally immersed in the lifestyle of Hip Hop, utilizing all of its elements in their daily lives. He himself started out as a writer (or Graffiti artist) and is also a B-Boy and creates his own break beats. He described how DJs and BBoys were critical elements that shaped Hip Hop culture early on.
Would the DJ have extended the break if the B-Boys and B-Girls did not break during it? Or would there be a Bboy if there was no extended break? We will never know, but this chicken-and-egg question led to the evolution of Hip Hop into the form we now see today. The MC took the center stage later, embellishing the DJ’s break beats, complementing the B-Boy’s breaking, and articulating the ethos of the culture through words, eventually becoming an iconic symbol of Hip Hop culture. Since the 1970s, Hip Hop has grown beyond the Bronx, becoming an international phenomenon that now connects people across the world.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, NY is considered by many as the birthplace of Hip Hop. This is where DJ Kool Herc, one of Hip Hop’s pioneers, threw his famous party on August 11, 1973. As a passionate dance educator in the field of Hip Hop, it was a surreal experience visiting this historic site in Oct 2023.
Now that we know a little about Hip Hop culture and the role of Hip Hop music in it, let's talk about Desi Hip Hop. In the year 2000, a young Pakistani-American named Roger David moved to Oakland. It was there that his cousin introduced him to the young Hip Hop producer Sha One (Seth Agress). David was a fan of South Asian poetry, but at the time had little interest in rapping or Hip Hop music. As the story goes, David started rapping a few lines of poetry he had written in Punjabi over a beat that Sha One had created. The rest is history; this experiment ultimately culminated in the first Desi Hip Hop album ever created, released in 2002 and titled “Vich Pardesan De” (In the Foreign Land). Roger eventually chose the stage name “Bohemia,” referencing a figure who is unconventional and takes the road less traveled.
The CD cover and back of the first desi hip hop album released in 2022, “Vich Pardesan De”
When asked about what desi Hip Hop is, Bohemia said:
“It’s hip hop music man.. It is not something I knew I was doing. It just happened and I think it is because of being in California at that time…People just started calling it ‘Punjabi Rap’, ‘Desi Rap’.. ‘Desi hip hop’..”
- Interview with VLADTV
Bohemia described California as the land of innovation, and Desi Hip Hop was indeed one such innovation. To take an existing genre of music and incorporate another language into it may seem trivial, but Bohemia’s ability to make Hip Hop an important part of diasporic South Asian culture is what makes his work truly revolutionary. Hip Hop is a culture in itself that reflects a way of life and highlights the resilience and the perseverance of Black and Latino communities as they struggled to find acceptance and prosperity in America. Thus, to take something born out of Hip Hop culture and allow it to become a part of conservative South Asian culture is a difficult balancing act that Bohemia managed to pull off.
Hip Hop music traditionally features many expletives and highlights a way of life that privileged South Asian communities did not resonate with. Bohemia knew this, and his lyrics did not include profanity, instead focusing on storytelling about his own life. His artistry is what has now inspired more than two decades of South Asian Hip Hop artists. These rappers, singers, and producers followed the blueprint created by Bohemia and even pushed the envelope further, making the style their own and helping the genre grow and to evolve.
When asked about why he chose the name Desi Hip Hop to identify what he was doing, Bohemia says:
“When I started no one was rapping in Hindi or Punjabi. In desi culture, we had people singing and then there was rapping which was at the time predominantly in English. So, I was in the middle of nowhere when I started rapping in Punjabi.
When I accepted this music style, I decided to give it a name. I decided to call it ‘Desi Hip Hop’… To have longevity in the industry, it is important for people to follow you. I could have decided to not name what I was doing to fit in a whole genre of music. I could have just called it ‘my music’. I decided to call it ‘Desi Hip Hop’ so people know that it is a genre of music. I supported the new generation of rappers that came after me by launching them through my label. I did this because I wanted the new generation of artists to follow my steps and make it grow as a genre. It was not a coincidence and it was all by design.”
- Excerpts from interview with FM 107 Qatar(Translated from Urdu)
What is Desi Hip Hop dance?
I would like to start this off by clarifying that there is no dance form called Desi Hip Hop. It is all just Hip Hop Dance.
The term Desi Hip Hop does not refer to a specific genre of dance; it is all just Hip Hop Dance. At its core, in Hip Hop dance, music is what creates movement, so even when it comes to Desi Hip Hop music, the movement would still be considered Hip Hop since Desi Hip Hop is just a subgenre of Hip Hop music.
This brings us to the dilemma of naming or labeling a dance class. In my conversations with some of the pioneers of Hip Hop, Buddha Stretch and Mr. Wiggles, they leaned towards naming the class based on the music that would be used in class. I have seen a lot of South Asian dance shows and classes calling what participants were doing “Bolly Hop”, “Bhangra Hop”, “Kuthu Hop”, etc. In my opinion, we should refrain from using these titles because they can be confusing, appropriative and also disrespectful to Hip Hop as a whole.
Where does Desi Hip Hop go from here?
As we celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop this year, I am amazed at how Hip Hop has inspired people all over the world. Anybody who has been a part of this culture for long enough will tell you that no one person can own Hip Hop or any part of it — you can only be a part of the culture, the artistry, the movement, contributing your own flair and experiences to it. As a B-Boy and Hip Hop head, Bohemia has played a huge role in helping me find my identity and tell my own story through Desi Hip Hop. His innovative lyrics and music production reflected how I grew up while respecting the values that my ancestors taught us to hold on to.
Almost two decades after its birth, the rappers, DJs, and B-Boys of Desi Hip Hop are continually pushing the conservative boundaries of Hip Hop and south Asian culture. Breaking will be featured in the Paris Olympics in 2024 and India is preparing to send a team of its own. The renowned B-Boy competition RedBull BC One was hosted in Mumbai in 2019. And who here remembers the dance team from India called Kings United that won competitions such as World of Dance and the World Hip Hop Dance Championship? Desi Hip Hop is only going to evolve further, and I am sure Bohemia would be happy to see how his vision is coming to life and extending beyond him.
How do I know Bohemia?
On September 6th, 2021, I got a call from a producer saying that a Punjabi rapper wanted a choreographer for one of his music videos to be shot in the Bay Area. I had no idea who the artist was until later, but I accepted the project anyway. I could not control my excitement when I found out that it was Bohemia himself and Noveen Morris whom I would be working for. Since then, I have had the pleasure of performing with him live in D.C. and the Bay Area, as well as choreographing the music video for “Tumhara Pyar” from Bohemia’s 2022 album called “I Am I.C.O.N.”
(L-R) Saffatt, Bohemia performing at a show in the Bay Area
In the process, I met his wonderful family who treated me with nothing but love. It felt like I was meeting my older sisters and my parents. We shared stories about growing up in the Middle East and becoming parents and saw where he got his kindness and caring attitude from. When I say that there is no better man to have started this movement, I really mean it, and history is now proof.
What is the purpose of this article?
I am a B-Boy, dance instructor, educator and lifelong student of Hip Hop based in the Bay Area. I have been teaching for quite some time now, and over the years have made a conscious attempt to make sure that the information I convey to my students is as accurate as possible. I aim to be a link between my students and the people who were actually there when this beautiful culture was created. Between the different names for classes using desi Hip Hop music and the lack of information on how this genre started, our communities are missing key information about what they are listening to in class and how it relates to Hip Hop culture overall. And I hope by amplifying the history of Desi Hip Hop, I will be able to bring a greater awareness of what this genre is to my students and the greater community of dancers and dance lovers.
In my mind, Desi Hip Hop is not only a subgenre of Hip Hop music, but it is also a part of the culture of Hip Hop. It is a reflection of South Asian grit, perseverance, and the hustle to make something out of nothing. What could be more Hip Hop than that?
References:
Bohemia on Creating Punjabi Rap: It's Not Something I Knew I was Doing (Part 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw8x3pmsEZ8
Bohemia on naming Desi Hip Hop and it’s creation (Interview with FM 107) -
