Hunterz
Encyclopedia
Hunterz is a British Asian
urban musician with Hindi
and Bhangra influences but based in England. His grandmother moved from Kenya to the U.K. after her husband died. She had to sing to feed her six children. With an early training in Indian classical music from the Patiala Gharana
, HunterZ has spent a life devoted to music. But born and brought up in the U.K., he joined private music schools to learn the guitar and keyboard. HunterZ raps and sings in English, Hindi and Punjabi in his albums.
After co-producing Slave II Fusion, he made his solo producing debut in 1999 with No Limits. However, he had no part in the singing.
His vocal debut came in 2003 with the bhangra album Most Wanted.
The second album to bear his name was Phat Trax Vol. 1: Blazin, completed in 2004, which had a more urban flavour in comparison to Most Wanteds international style. Most songs contrasted Hunterz' Hindi
lyrics with rapping in English
. The album also featured Hunterz' brothers Ishers and Vee and his cousin Chan. In December 2004, Hunterz also featured on Streets of Bollywood
, an album of remix
es of Bollywood
songs, with his 'Baby Girl Mix' of "Aap Ka Aana" from the 2000 film Kurukshetra.
In 2005 Hunterz co-wrote and sang a single, "Reasons", with the dub
/reggae
band UB40
. Along with UB40 and The Dhol Blasters he performed this song at the Live 8
London concert
in Hyde Park
. He also produced four further remixes of Bollywood songs for the album Bollywood Breaks Vol. 1: "Haare Haare", "Tu Cheez", "Dulhe Ka Sehra" and "Pehli Baar".
On 16 June 2008, the album Masterpiece was released featuring Vee.
Hunterz attended Kingsbrook Middle School in Bedford between 1984 and 1988, and then John Bunyan Upper School from 1988 to 1991.
Hunterz performed at the University of Sheffield
on 8 February 2010, along with Imran Khan
, Veronica
and Dr Zeus
. In the promotion for this performance, he gave an interview on BBC Radio Sheffield
, where he officially announced that his new upcoming album in 2010 will be in collaboration with Rishi Rich
.
, soul
, rock
, hip hop
and R&B.
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
urban musician with Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Bhangra influences but based in England. His grandmother moved from Kenya to the U.K. after her husband died. She had to sing to feed her six children. With an early training in Indian classical music from the Patiala Gharana
Patiala Gharana
The Patiala gharana is one of the most prominent gharanas of vocal Hindustani classical music. It was initially sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala, Punjab, which was famous for ghazal, thumri, and khyal.-History:...
, HunterZ has spent a life devoted to music. But born and brought up in the U.K., he joined private music schools to learn the guitar and keyboard. HunterZ raps and sings in English, Hindi and Punjabi in his albums.
After co-producing Slave II Fusion, he made his solo producing debut in 1999 with No Limits. However, he had no part in the singing.
His vocal debut came in 2003 with the bhangra album Most Wanted.
The second album to bear his name was Phat Trax Vol. 1: Blazin, completed in 2004, which had a more urban flavour in comparison to Most Wanteds international style. Most songs contrasted Hunterz' Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
lyrics with rapping in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The album also featured Hunterz' brothers Ishers and Vee and his cousin Chan. In December 2004, Hunterz also featured on Streets of Bollywood
Streets of Bollywood
Streets of Bollywood is a compilation album of songs from Bollywood movies, remixed by British Asian music artists. Among the artists are Hunterz, Metz & Trix, and Kami K . Several of the artists would also feature on the later similarly themed Bollywood Breaks Vol...
, an album of remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
songs, with his 'Baby Girl Mix' of "Aap Ka Aana" from the 2000 film Kurukshetra.
In 2005 Hunterz co-wrote and sang a single, "Reasons", with the dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
/reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
. Along with UB40 and The Dhol Blasters he performed this song at the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
London concert
Live 8 concert, London
The main Live 8 concert was held at Hyde Park, London, England on 2 July 2005, in front of over 200,000 people. The show's logistics were managed by famed promoter Harvey Goldsmith.The event is also referred to as "Live 8 London" or "Live 8 UK"....
in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. He also produced four further remixes of Bollywood songs for the album Bollywood Breaks Vol. 1: "Haare Haare", "Tu Cheez", "Dulhe Ka Sehra" and "Pehli Baar".
On 16 June 2008, the album Masterpiece was released featuring Vee.
Hunterz attended Kingsbrook Middle School in Bedford between 1984 and 1988, and then John Bunyan Upper School from 1988 to 1991.
Hunterz performed at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
on 8 February 2010, along with Imran Khan
Imran Khan (singer)
Imran Khan is a Dutch-born Punjabi singer of Pakistani origin who gained success after the release of his first single "Ni Nachleh" in 2007. His debut album Unforgettable was released on 27 July 2009.-Biography:...
, Veronica
Veronica (singer)
Veronica is a dance music singer and theatrical actress. Along with singers Ultra Nate, Deborah Cox, she is considered to be one of the divas of the 1990s club music scene...
and Dr Zeus
Dr Zeus
Dr. Zeus is the stage name of Baljit Singh Padam, who is a Birmingham based Music Producer.-Career:Zeus gained stardom in India in late 2003 with his hit song "Kangna". He has large fan bases in India, the United States, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other large Punjabi markets. His...
. In the promotion for this performance, he gave an interview on BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC Local Radio service for English metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. This includes the city of Sheffield, plus Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Chesterfield and surrounding areas. It was the BBC local radio station, beginning on 15 November 1967...
, where he officially announced that his new upcoming album in 2010 will be in collaboration with Rishi Rich
Rishi Rich
Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...
.
Musical style
Huntertz' music has been described as a mixture of funkFunk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and R&B.