Popular Indian rapper Badshah speaks during the press conference yesterday in Kuwait. — Photo by Sajeev K Peter

Popular Indian rapper Badshah took music lovers in Kuwait by storm on Friday evening at the Shaheed Park open air ground with his pulsating vocal range of rap delivery. Performing during the musical show presented by Indian Youth Society Kuwait, Badshah kept all spellbound. "Rap in India is a small genre compared to other music genres. My humble attempt is to broaden its scope and reach by making it more popular," Badshah told a post-event press conference yesterday at Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza.

Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, better known by his stage name Badshah, has come a long way ever since he debuted into the world of rap in 2006 on a growing fan following, especially the youth. Today, he is popular as an Indian rapper for his Hindi, Haryanvi and Punjabi songs though he sings in Marathi, Benagli and Gujarati. He is known for hits such as Chul, 2 Many Girls and the recent hit 'DJ Waley Babu,' featuring Aastha Gill which was ranked number one on Indian i-tunes charts within 24 hours of the release.

The song also crossed a million views on Youtube within 30 hours. "I want to foray into other Indian languages also including south Indian languages though language remains as a major stumbling block for me," he said. "I was overwhelmed by the huge response from the crowd yesterday in Kuwait. That included many Kuwaiti music lovers. I am quite happy," he said.

Poetry and rhythm

Rap is a shortened form of poetry and it is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates rhyme, rhythmic speech and street vernacular. "I could make a mark as a rapper and I wanted to continue to do what I am doing right now without compromising the quality of my music," he explained. Badshah's music has been featured in Bollywood soundtracks for movies such as the 2014 film 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania,' and Sonam Kapoor starrer 'Khoobsurat'. He has also collaborated with artists such as Gippy Grewal, Diljeet Dosanjh, Manj Musik, Raftaar, Navv Inder and Aastha Gill among others.

Talking about his foray into Bollywood, Badshah said, "In fact I was rapping my way into Bollywood movies. I polished my songs for Hindi movies. However, I have an identity as a rapper even though most of my popular songs are being taken in movies. Obviously, Bollywood is a big platform for any artist," he said.  Before becoming a full-time musician, Badshah received formal education to become a civil engineer from PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh. Talking about his transition from a civil engineer to a rapper, Badshah quipped, "During my training as an engineer, I was exposed to new Punjabi music inspiring me to take on rap writing and singing."

"There is no training institute today on how to rap. You learn through listening and singing. At the end of the day, if you are talented, you become a rapper," he pointed out.  My first song 'Mercy' from my debut album O.N.E. became the third most viewed video in the whole world. It was a great moment for me. I am proud of speaking on behalf of the genre I represent," he said. Badshah said his new album will be released in September. "Whatever I make, I make it with passion and a conviction."

By Sajeev K Peter