Pakistani hip hop
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| Music of Pakistan | |
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| Religious music | |
| Ethnic music | |
| Traditional music | |
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| Music awards | Lux Style Awards MTV Awards |
| Music festivals | All Pakistan Music Conference Coke Studio |
| Music media | |
| National anthem | Qaumi Tarana |
| Regional music | |
| Local forms | |
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Pakistani hip hop is a new genre of Pakistani music. In recent years, local Pakistani hip hop artists have begun to emerge in underground scenes in large cities such as Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. The lyrical expression of cultural identity and addressing Pakistan's political and social problems is vital in making hip hop a popular growing genre. It is mainly performed in Punjabi, Urdu, Pashto, Farsi and only recently, Balochi.
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[edit] History
Hip Hop first took root in Pakistan during the early 2000s with the introduction of American television and distribution of Hip Hop music within cd shops. Online social networking such as Orkut & Facebook also played a heavy role in bringing together various underground Pakistan rappers together in sharing their music. Rap engineers was formed in 2006 while Adil Omar emerged as one of the first Pakistani English rappers. In 2008, Play TV (Pakistan) hosted a live freestyle battle show "MC Clash" which attempted to bring exposure to Lahore s underground hip hop talent such as STT,Haider Z, Bobby Digital, and others. During the same year pakhiphop.com was created as a solid platform for rising Pakistani rappers & producers to showcase their music on the internet. Islamabad based artist Adil Omar became known for his collaboration with B-Real of Cypress Hill. In 2010, Bohemia (musician) toured Pakistan were he performed in Lahore & Islamabad in an effort to bring attention to Pakistan’s flood crisis. Detroit based Pakistani American rapper Lazarus[disambiguation needed 
] was awarded by Geo TV as the "Best new artist" and was interviewed in Geo News Documentary Voice of America.
Pakistan’s Mainstream Media was silent towards Pakistan’s growing Hip Hop culture until things begun to transform in 2011. 10 music videos were released that year from various artists who included Adil Omar, Rap Engineer’s, Lazaru], Fortitude, Billy X and others. Lazarus toured Pakistan which resulted in his second single & music video “Drug of Choice “to be filmed in Rawalpindi which portrayed the Legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan being fused with hip hop. Hip Hop duo Rap Engineers released their first single & music video “Conflict Management” which showcased inspiration from Bulleh Shah poetry and their second single & music video “Baitan” which includes Yaruq fusing classical singing with Hip Hop.
Adil Omar released his first single & music video “Off the Handle” which featured Xzibit and his second single “Paki Rambo” which is on the soundtrack of the Pakistani Movie “Gol Chakhar” and is part of Adil Omar’s upcoming Album The Mushroom Cloud Effect. Other Notable releases presented the Hip Hop Group Fortitude who combined Pashto & English in their first single “Time Pass”. Lahore based Punjabi rapper Billy X released a music video for his hit single “Jutni” while Osama Com Laude released his first music video “The Balance”.
Hip Hop Record labels have started to emerge which are attempting to bring a platform for Pakistani Hip Hop Artists & Producers. In 2011,Urban Prince Records was formed in Karachi as Pakistan's first Hip Hop record label which consists of members AYJ who is a professional beat boxer and has performed on the Sahir Lodhi Show. Islamabad & Rawalpindi are currently viewed as the most active cities for its Hip Hop music with Rap Engineers gaining around 200 live concerts and Adil Omar planning to release his first album The Mushroom Cloud Effect in Spring 2012. Notable Producers have also emerged such as Talal Qureshi, DJ Mast, Webster, DJ Danny, JO-G and more. Hip Hop is continuing to grow in Pakistan but it has not reached the popularity and influence Rock & Pop has on Pakistani mainstream music.
[edit] Culture
Pakistani hip hop can be defined as a blend of traditional Pakistani musical elements with modern hip hop music and is achieved by using various Pakistani languages as well as incorporating traditional percussion like the tabla and dhol and other instrumentation like the sitar. Pakistani hip hop is perceived differently by the major branches of the Pakistani diaspora, where Pakistani Americans often adopt hip hop at an early age and make it an important aspect of their "American identity". Conversely, Pakistani Britons were first exposed to hip hop as an American export.
[edit] Artists and groups
[edit] References
1.http://www.pakhiphop.com 2.http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/05/reviews-previews-adil-omar-featuring-xzibit-off-the-handle.html 3.http://www.dawn.com/2010/09/05/in-the-loop-bohemia-in-pakistan.html 4.http://www.urban-prince.com/
