Bohemia (rapper): Difference between revisions
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==Making of a Pioneer== |
==Making of a Pioneer== |
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The term “Bohemia” suggests flouting traditional mores. And rap is all about personal angst or feelings. So what is Bohemia the man all about? “Well, I lost my mom when I was just 14 or 15, and I was quite a momma’s boy. That made me mad and I was kind of pushed into negative things. I have to thank God for music, for that’s what finally made me wake up and gave a reason to live. Dad played the harmonium and I learnt the keyboard.”<br> <ref>http://laddiweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/bohemia-punjabi-rapper-biography.html</ref> |
The term ''“Bohemia”'' suggests flouting traditional mores. And rap is all about personal angst or feelings. So what is Bohemia the man all about? “Well, I lost my mom when I was just 14 or 15, and I was quite a momma’s boy. That made me mad and I was kind of pushed into negative things. I have to thank God for music, for that’s what finally made me wake up and gave a reason to live. Dad played the [[harmonium]] and I learnt the [[Keyboard_instrument|keyboard]].”<br> <ref>http://laddiweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/bohemia-punjabi-rapper-biography.html</ref> |
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He goes on, “When we shifted to the U.S., I lived a strange life. I was virtually living at the Milan Recording Studios in Sacramento and sleeping there or in cars. |
He goes on, “When we shifted to the [[Bay_area|U.S.]], I lived a strange life. I was virtually living at the Milan Recording Studios in [[Sacramento]] and sleeping there or in cars... I was friends with Suresh Margoli, a tabla player, and when he passed away at a young age and was replaced by another tabla player just as easily as if he was a broken instrument, I was mad again. I told the studio engineer that I was through with being a keyboard player who could go into anonymity if he died tomorrow. I wanted to do something where I would stand out!”<br> |
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Bohemia’s first album was |
Bohemia’s first album was '''Vich Pardesan De''' in 2002, which was about coming to a foreign land. Hip-hop was then limited to the underground, and he pioneered Punjabi rap. Then came '''Pesa Nasha Pyar''' (Money, Intoxication, Love) in 2006 in India, the first-ever full-length Desi rap album to be released worldwide on a major music label (Universal Music Group).<br> |
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| ⚫ | “Da Rap Star,” his new album he says, “is all me,<ref>http://laddiweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/bohemia-punjabi-rapper-biography.html</ref> without any samples used other than my tribute track to Malkit Singh. I am showing off how good a producer I am! I have used a lot of bass, beats and keyboards and I have even done the sequencing. My associate J. Hind has added the desi hip-hop. There are tracks that describe my journey. To sum up, it’s me saying, ‘I’m me! Look, I’m still here!’”<br> |
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Bohemia says that his emotions are first-hand and are about what has happened either to him or people very close to him. “My emotions tend to be on the edge of the extreme,” says Bohemia. “Like a high when I am feeling good about myself, or when I am very bitter, like when a person of color in America is forced to even take off his socks while being frisked or is continually bothered by cops. I have never written my rap from sheer imagination or from fairytale land.”<br> |
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Through his experiences, come raw raps depicting not just [[California]] street life, but a life many south Asians lead in [[America]]. Bohemia looks up to artists such as [[Jagjit Singh]] and the late [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]] and rapper's like [[Nas_(rapper)|Nas]] and [[KRS-One]]. |
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“Da Rap Star,” his new album, also has some regular songs, as Bohemia realizes that rap usually is just a part of a song. He is also vastly proud of India’s musical heritage, and is a great fan of Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Jagjit Singh in particular. “That’s the real gold to be treasured. It’s our heritage and I listen a lot to them,” he says.<br> |
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| ⚫ | After having burnt up music charts with his Bollywood songs, Bohemia's highly awaited album '''Da Rap Star''' has finally released (Universal Music Group, April 2009). '''Da Rap Star''', written and produced entirely by Bohemia hit #1 on the Planet M Chart India and is nominated as the '''Best Punjabi Album''' at the UK Asian Music Awards. |
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| ⚫ | “Da Rap Star,” he says, “is all me, without any samples used other than my tribute track to Malkit Singh. I am showing off how good a producer I am! I have used a lot of bass, beats and keyboards and I have even done the sequencing. My associate J. Hind has added the desi hip-hop. There are tracks that describe my journey. To sum up, it’s me saying, ‘I’m me! Look, I’m still here!’”<br> |
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Pioneers like Malkit Singh and Rabbi Shergill are unhappy about the current Punjabi pop scenario. What is his take? “I am optimistic,” he replies. “Being proper or right is a vast statement. When a U.K.-born Sikh comes out with a bhangra-pop album, what is important to me is not that the Punjabi accent is not correct but that a U.K.-raised guy is actually singing in Punjabi.”<br> |
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He describes his collaboration with Akshay Kumar in “Chandni Chowk to China” and “8x10 Tasveer” as a “fantasy-come-true.” “Dad loves Akshay Kumar for the edgy stuff that he does and when he was once watching his film he asked me, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if Akshay called you to do a song?’ I agreed, but asked him why it would happen? And it was bizarre that six weeks later Pooja Batra called up and stated that Akshay wanted to be in touch with me!”<br> |
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The superstar invited Bohemia to the Torino Film Festival to the premiere of “Singh is Kinng” and they walked the red carpet together. “He told me that he always worked out to my music and we hopped into his limo and he told me that he needed a song for his film and gave me a brief. That same night, I started making a beat for ‘Chandni Chowk To China.’ Some months later, he called up from Cape Town and got me to hear the synopsis of ‘8x10 Tasveer.’ We are working again”<br> |
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And what’s with the angry-yet-sad kind of look on his new inlay cover? Laughs the rapper, “Ha! That’s the music company’s choice! I had chosen another picture but they insisted on this one! You will have to pull them up for it!”<br> |
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Through his experiences, come raw raps depicting not just California street life, but a life many south Asians lead in America. His lyrics are in Punjabi, while many of the hooks are in English. Bohemia looks up to artists such as [[Jagjit Singh]] and the late [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]]. Bohemia's first album, '''Vich Pardesan De''' (In The Foreign Lands), was released independently in 2002 and was soon among the Top Ten most requested songs on BBC radio 1 UK. His next album, '''Pesa Nasha Pyar''' (Money Addiction Love), was released in 2006 under Universal Music Group Pvt. Ltd. [[India]] and Ishq Records, UK making it the first ever full-length Punjabi-rap album to be released by a major label. His latest album '''Da Rap Star''' also with UMG was #1 on Planet M Chart in Punjab and is nominated as the '''Best International album''' at the Uk Asian Music Awards 2010.<br> |
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| ⚫ | After having burnt up music charts with his Bollywood songs, Bohemia's highly awaited album '''Da Rap Star''' has finally released (Universal Music Group, April 2009). Da Rap Star, written and produced entirely by Bohemia hit |
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==Bohemia's Albums== |
==Bohemia's Albums== |
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Revision as of 05:41, 6 August 2010
Bohemia |
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Ra [Short for Raja] aka Bohemia or Bohemia the Punjabi Rapper is a Rapper and Music Producer from California, USA. Bohemia quickly gained popularity in 2003 with his independent debut album, ‘Vich Pardesan De’ which hit the Top Ten on BBC Radio 1 UK. The following album, ‘Pesa Nasha Pyar’, became the first full-length Punjabi-Rap album released by a major label in the history. It brought Bohemia increased popularity, including his recent multi-record deal with music mogul Universal Music Group Pvt. Ltd. India. It also brought his creation of Punjabi Rap to mainstream recognition making Bohemia known as a pioneer of a new genre of music: Desi-Hip-Hop or Desi-Rap.
In 2006 ‘Pesa Nasha Pyar’ hits #2 on Maxim Magazine’s Top 10 Downloads, and #3 on Planet M Chart. Bohemia appears in XXL Magazine New York, USA. He enters Bollywood in 2009 with the title track for Warner Bros. feature film ‘Chandni Chowk to China’, in which he also appeared in the film with Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone.[1] In 2010 ‘Da Rap Star’, his third album receives four nominations at the UK Asian Music Awards and PTC Punjabi Music Awards, including ‘Best Punjabi Album’ and ‘Best Music Director’. ‘Da Rap Star’ also remains #1 on Planet M Chart India for several weeks. Bohemia then went on touring for the rest of 2009 performing all over Europe, Asia and America. He has appeared on many of Universal India’s mega-compilations including "The Chart busters" with Bohemia on three tracks. Universal called this compiliation The biggest hits in Punjabi one massive album![2] Bohemia is one of the best-selling artists of the year, making him the flagship artist of Universal Music Group India.
Bohemia was ranked 25th on Desiclub.com’s list of the 50 Coolist Desis.[3] “Ek Tera Pyar”, his second single from ‘Da Rap Star’ entered the B4U Top Ten Chart, becoming the first none film track to do so. Bohemia was amongst the top 100 most searched Asian artists on yahoo.com. He has been featured on over 30 major label compilations and colaborations to date.
Background
Bohemia (Born Roger David) in a mixed Sikh and Christian descent family, [4]started learning music at a very young age from his father. He started writing Punjabi poetry around then as well. After migrating to the Bay Area California USA at about fourteen years of age, Ra was introduced to America that was much the opposite of palm trees and green grass. The town was infested with drugs and violence. About a year later being in the states, he lost his mother to cancer. At that time, Ra left home and became a local musician. He started working as a keyboard player/music arranger while living at local studios with other musicians. After a few years of success, the local group of musicians fell apart and Ra left to pursue music on his own. Bohemia soon started putting his poetry to the music he composed and gave birth to a new new genre of music.
Making of a Pioneer
The term “Bohemia” suggests flouting traditional mores. And rap is all about personal angst or feelings. So what is Bohemia the man all about? “Well, I lost my mom when I was just 14 or 15, and I was quite a momma’s boy. That made me mad and I was kind of pushed into negative things. I have to thank God for music, for that’s what finally made me wake up and gave a reason to live. Dad played the harmonium and I learnt the keyboard.”
[5]
He goes on, “When we shifted to the U.S., I lived a strange life. I was virtually living at the Milan Recording Studios in Sacramento and sleeping there or in cars... I was friends with Suresh Margoli, a tabla player, and when he passed away at a young age and was replaced by another tabla player just as easily as if he was a broken instrument, I was mad again. I told the studio engineer that I was through with being a keyboard player who could go into anonymity if he died tomorrow. I wanted to do something where I would stand out!”
Bohemia’s first album was Vich Pardesan De in 2002, which was about coming to a foreign land. Hip-hop was then limited to the underground, and he pioneered Punjabi rap. Then came Pesa Nasha Pyar (Money, Intoxication, Love) in 2006 in India, the first-ever full-length Desi rap album to be released worldwide on a major music label (Universal Music Group).
“Da Rap Star,” his new album he says, “is all me,[6] without any samples used other than my tribute track to Malkit Singh. I am showing off how good a producer I am! I have used a lot of bass, beats and keyboards and I have even done the sequencing. My associate J. Hind has added the desi hip-hop. There are tracks that describe my journey. To sum up, it’s me saying, ‘I’m me! Look, I’m still here!’”
Through his experiences, come raw raps depicting not just California street life, but a life many south Asians lead in America. Bohemia looks up to artists such as Jagjit Singh and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and rapper's like Nas and KRS-One.
After having burnt up music charts with his Bollywood songs, Bohemia's highly awaited album Da Rap Star has finally released (Universal Music Group, April 2009). Da Rap Star, written and produced entirely by Bohemia hit #1 on the Planet M Chart India and is nominated as the Best Punjabi Album at the UK Asian Music Awards.
Bohemia's Albums
- 2002: Vich Pardesan De (In The Foreign Lands)
- 2006: Pesa Nasha Pyar (Money Addiction Love) Universal Music Group India Pvt. Ltd.
- 2009: Da Rap Star Universal Music Group India Pvt. Ltd. (Nominated for 4 Int'l Music Awards)
Bohemia in Bollywood
- Chandni Chowk to China
Bohemia wrote and produced the title track for Warner Bros. Chandni Chowk to China is a Hindi film directed by Nikhil Advani. Bohemia appeares in the film for the title track along with stars Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone.
- 8 x 10 Tasveer
Akshay teams up with Bohemia for a song in 8 x 10 Tasveer. Navin Shah, CEO of Percept Picture Company, says, "...Bohemia is a very popular rap artist and we are very happy that he has given his music for our film."8 x 10 Tasveer. starring Julian S. Low, Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Javed Jaffrey, and Anant Mahadevan is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.
References
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandni_Chowk_to_China
- ^ http://www.umusicindia.com/album.php?albumid=611&hotcom=2&category=1
- ^ http://www.desiclub.com/community/culture/printlisting.cfm?id=200
- ^ http://laddiweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/bohemia-punjabi-rapper-biography.html
- ^ http://laddiweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/bohemia-punjabi-rapper-biography.html
- ^ http://laddiweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/bohemia-punjabi-rapper-biography.html