 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Panjabi MC | |
|---|---|
 Panjabi MC performing atLondon Mela in August 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rajinder Singh Rai |
| Born | (1969-02-14)February 14, 1969 (age 56) Coventry,Warwickshire, England, UK |
| Genres | Bhangra,electronic,alternative hip hop,trip hop,Asian Underground |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Superstar Recordings (Germany) Urban Records PMC Records (UK) Universal (India) Ultra Music |
| Website | www |
Rajinder Singh Rai (born February 14, 1969), better known by his stage namePanjabi MC, is an English recording artist, rapper, record producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwideBhangra 2002 hit "Mundian To Bach Ke", which sold 10 million copies worldwide, making itone of the best-selling singles of all time. Among other songs, he gained acclaim with the 2003 release "Jogi".AllMusic has called him "one of the most prominent names in bhangra".[1]
Rajinder Singh adopted his stage name from thePunjabi language he uses in the music he plays andraps.[2] "One of [his] main goals is to fuse the two worlds [ofBhangra andHip hop music genres]".[3]
Nachural Records signed Panjabi MC following aremix he made of "Ghariah Milan De", a song by Indian Punjabi singerKuldeep Manak; although the single was taken off the market, Panjabi MC continued making records. The first successful release, however, was "Mundian To Bach Ke" ("Beware of the Boys" in Punjabi): it first appeared on the 1998 albumLegalised, and samples thetheme music of the television seriesKnight Rider with Bhangra music. Originally, an underground hit on theinternet, it was picked up by theGerman record labelSuperstar Recordings, and became a mainstreamhit song across Europe, including Germany and UK.
In 2003 was released a version of this single featuring American rapperJay-Z, whose title was "Beware of the Boys"; in the same year he releasedYogi, a song which had not the success of the previous single but also topped the charts. His work, particularly the early singles and the "Mundian To Bach Ke" version with Jay-Z, brought Bhangra to a global audience via theBBC; he later continued to produce and remix music.
In 2004, he recorded a song called "Mirza" and mixed it with "Isyankar", a song byTurkish singerMustafa Sandal, but they did not release the remixed version.[4] In 2008 was released Panjabi MC's albumIndian Timing; the "Snake Charmer" music video was screened at Deejay Ra's music video night inToronto at the FILMI festival,North America's longest running South Asian film festival.
Panjabi MC used "Planet Rock", a 1982 song byAfrika Bambaataa, for his release "Pyar Wich (Planet Rock Remix)", before the latter could record "Indian Planet Rock"; this version by British-born Indian Dj's was included on the 1998 albumLegalised. OnIndian Timing, Panjabi MC used vocal samples from "Im Nin'alu", a 1984 song by Israeli singerOfra Haza. On "Jatt Ho Giya Sharabee", a song released in 1998, Panjabi MC used thetheme music from the television seriesMagnum, P.I.. In "Mundian To Bach Ke", along with the subsequent remix version featuringJay-Z "Beware of the Boys", the Dj used the bassline from the television seriesKnight Rider.[3] Both the last two songs were on the albumLegalised, released in 1998.
The 1998 single "Jatt Ho Giya Sharabee", included later on the 2003 albumBeware, was featured on the television showHeroes (episode 2,Don't Look Back, aired on October 2, 2006). The 2001 song "Yaaran Kollon Sikh Kuriye" was featured in the television showWildboyz as a music video. In the same year, Panjabi MC made hisCanadian premiere at thePayal Banquet Hall inMississauga,Ontario. Deejay Ra hosted a TV special covering the event entitled "The Bhangramentary", which aired on theAsian Television Network (ATN). The 1998/2002 single "Mundian To Bach Ke" was featured in an episode ofQueer as Folk television series and in the 2002 movieBend It Like Beckham; it also was featured, in the remix version of "Mundian To Bach Ke" with Jay-Z, on the soundtrack of the 2021 BAFTA-nominated Netflix filmThe White Tiger.[5] Panjabi MC has also appeared onTop of the Pops, from which the "Mundian To Bach Ke" videoclip began to appear on music channels around the world in heavy rotation.
Together withSukhwinder Singh andSapna Awasthi, Panjabi MC remixed the popular song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from the 1998Bollywood film,Dil Se... This release was used as the background during opening credits for the 2006Hollywood movieInside Man. Their song "Land of Five Rivers" (the exact translation ofPunjab, Panjabi MC's original land) was used as a theme song for theWWE wrestlerThe Great Khali, and featured onVoices: WWE The Music, Vol. 9.[6]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] | US R&B [8] | US Dance [9] | AUS [10] | BEL [11] | CAN | DEN [12] | GER [13] | IRL [14] | FRA [15] | ITA [16] | SWI [17] | UK [18] | ||||
| "Ghariah Milan De" | 1995 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Mundian To Bach Ke" | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Legalised | |
| "Jatt Ho Giya Sharabee" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Jatt Ho Gya Sharabi | ||
| "Yaaran Kollon Sikh Kuriye" | 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Album | |
| "Mundian To Bach Ke" (featuringJay-Z) | 2003 | 33 | 21 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Legalised |
| "Jogi" | — | — | — | 92 | 55 | — | — | 12 | 47 | 75 | 30 | 8 | 25 | Jogi EP | ||
| "Chaiyya Chaiyya (Bollywood Joint)" | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Snake Charmer" | 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Land of Five Rivers" | 2009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Moorni (Balle Balle)" | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
