Pakistani hip hop
Encyclopedia
Pakistani hip hop is a new genre of Pakistani music
Music of Pakistan
The music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic and modern day Western popular music influences...

. In recent years, local Pakistani hip hop artists have begun to emerge in underground scenes in large cities such as Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...

, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 and Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

. The lyrical expression of cultural identity
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....

 and addressing Pakistan's political and social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...

 problems is vital in making hip hop a popular growing genre. It is mainly performed in Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

 and Pashto.

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
Orkut
Orkut is a social networking website that is owned and operated by Google Inc. The service is designed to help users meet new and old friends and maintain existing relationships...

 & Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 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)
Play TV (Pakistan)
Play TV is a sister channel of AAJ TV. Play TV is a 24 hour music and lifestyle channel. It plays videos of Pakistani as well as International Artists.-External links:* *...

 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
Adil Omar
Adil Omar is a rapper and singer-songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He is one of the few hip-hop artists from Pakistan and musicians from the region to write and perform in English. He has also collaborated with mainstream artists such as Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Everlast, Kool G Rap, DJ Lethal of...

 became known for his collaboration with B-Real of Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...

. In 2010, Bohemia (musician)
Bohemia (musician)
Bohemia is an Pakistani American Punjabi rapper and a music producer from California, Bohemia quickly gained popularity in 2003 with his independent debut album, ‘Vich Pardesan De ’ which hit the Top 10 on BBC Radio 1 UK. The following album, ‘Pesa Nasha Pyar’, became the first full-length...

 toured Pakistan were he performed in Lahore & Islamabad in an effort to bring attention to Pakistan’s flood crisis. Detroit based Pakistani American
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...

 rapper Lazarus
Lazarus
Lazarus may refer to:*Lazarus , a surname and given name -People:* Lazarus of Bethany, a figure in the Gospel of John, which describes him being raised by Jesus from the dead...

 was awarded by Geo TV
Geo TV
Geo TV or Geo Television is a Pakistani television network, founded by Mr. Mir Shakil ur Rehman in May 2002 and owned by Independent Media Corporation. The channel began test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning 1 October 2002...

 as the "Best new artist" and was interviewed in Geo News Documentary Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...

.

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
Adil Omar
Adil Omar is a rapper and singer-songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He is one of the few hip-hop artists from Pakistan and musicians from the region to write and perform in English. He has also collaborated with mainstream artists such as Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Everlast, Kool G Rap, DJ Lethal of...

, Rap Engineer’s, Lazarus
Lazarus
Lazarus may refer to:*Lazarus , a surname and given name -People:* Lazarus of Bethany, a figure in the Gospel of John, which describes him being raised by Jesus from the dead...

, Fortitude, Billy X and others. Lazarus
Lazarus
Lazarus may refer to:*Lazarus , a surname and given name -People:* Lazarus of Bethany, a figure in the Gospel of John, which describes him being raised by Jesus from the dead...

 toured Pakistan which resulted in his second single & music video “Drug of Choice “to be filmed in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...

 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
Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.-Early life:Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a teacher and preacher in a village mosque...

 poetry and their second single & music video “Baitan” which includes Yaruq fusing classical singing with Hip Hop.

Adil Omar
Adil Omar
Adil Omar is a rapper and singer-songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He is one of the few hip-hop artists from Pakistan and musicians from the region to write and perform in English. He has also collaborated with mainstream artists such as Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Everlast, Kool G Rap, DJ Lethal of...

 released his first single & music video “Off the Handle” which featured Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...

 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
The Mushroom Cloud Effect
The Mushroom Cloud Effect is the upcoming debut studio album by rapper Adil Omar. The album is due to be released in Spring 2012.-Background:Regarding the album title, Omar revealed on his website that it's "a metaphor for the aftermath of a catastrophe...

. 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 Caum 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 level and influence Rock & Pop has on Pakistani mainstream music.

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
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...

 and dhol
Dhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...

 and other instrumentation like the sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...

. 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.

Artists and groups

  • Bohemia
  • Lazarus
    Lazarus
    Lazarus may refer to:*Lazarus , a surname and given name -People:* Lazarus of Bethany, a figure in the Gospel of John, which describes him being raised by Jesus from the dead...

  • Adil Omar
    Adil Omar
    Adil Omar is a rapper and singer-songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He is one of the few hip-hop artists from Pakistan and musicians from the region to write and perform in English. He has also collaborated with mainstream artists such as Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Everlast, Kool G Rap, DJ Lethal of...

  • Waqas Ali Qadri
    Waqas Ali Qadri
    Waqas Ali Qadri is a Danish singer with Pakistani roots. He is a singer in the vocal group Outlandish, along with Isam Bachiri and Lenny Martinez.- Early life :...

  • Riz MC
  • Feroze
    Feroze
    Feroze is a common Persian masculine name meaning victorious, triumphant or prosperous...

  • OCT
    Oct
    * An abbreviation of October, the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar*OCT, the professional designation granted to certified teachers in Ontario...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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