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Baba unplugged
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Indian rap king Baba Sehgal talks about his music, TV shows and his new album
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Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
Dhoom Mache De Baba Sehgal: ‘Good music now means you need to be a good arranger’
The man is what his music is – humourous and snappy. Baba aka Harjit Singh Sehgal, Indian rap king, is also as unfussy and affable as the lyrics of his songs. “I want to put rhythm back into the life of today’s burnt-out souls,̶
1; says the electrical engineer turned rapper. “I realised connecting with people, not connecting wires, was my calling,” he laughs aloud.
Baba made rap popular in the Nineties with hit albums such as “Thanda Thanda Pani”, “Dilruba”, “Main bhi Madonna”, “Manjula”, “Dil Dhadke”… But he feels that this genre with its rhythmic and rhyming wordplay has not been exploited well in our country as in America.
A net search reveals rap is sometimes claimed to be an acronym for “Rhythmic African Poetry”, “Rhythm and Poetry”, “Rhythmically Applied Poetry” or “Rapping About Poetry”.
“Rap became a rage since it borrowed words from the man on the street, spoke about his life, problems, places… tongue-in-cheek. It emerged from the party culture, where the MC would cheer, greet, crack jokes…to keep the tempo even as the DJ played the songs. Over time, his conversations were peppered with beats and tunes, became more stylized, and danceable too,” says the dapper-rapper, sporting chic coolers, earrings and a thick metal chain around his neck.
He was in Chennai recently to hold an art show with his curator-wife Anju. Talking about his affinity towards southern film stars, he says, “Wish we could have invited Mr. Rajnikanth to inaugurate the show.” Baba is grateful to A.R. Rehman for the “unforgettable” ‘Rukmani Rukmani’ (from “Roja”). “It proved I could sing and not just blabber as many perceive rap to be.”
He has a good following in Andhra Pradesh and has been doing a lot of work in Telugu. “Thanks to friends such as Nagarjuna.” A few days ago he was in Chennai to record a song for “Jalasa” (Pawan Kalyan’s film). “My song ‘Roop tera mastana’ in the Chiranjeevi-starrer “Rikshavodu” was a chartbuster.”
After rapping his way up the musical charts (he released 27 albums), Baba shifted base to the U.S. in 2000 when newer musical genres such as Underground and Lounge pushed rap to the background.
“Like actors I was typecast — once a rapper always a rapper. I was desperate to do other songs. I knew I could do it. In the U.S., I was doing shows for Broadway in New York. I am back here again. Luckily, TV shows such as ‘Santa and Banta’ (Zoom) and ‘Dhoom Macha De’ (NDTV Imagine) happened. Television, especially reality shows are big now. And it feels nice to be part of a trend.”
The small screen is not new for Baba. He used to host the widely-watched ‘Superhit Muqabala’ on DD. “Now it’s all TRP and SMS-driven. Channels devise new ways to attract viewer-attention. Though reality shows are fun and a boon to talented youngsters, the channels hardly support the winners once the show is over. So few have been able to make a mark.”
Baba is happy that “Dhoom Mache De” is a hit. Sharmila Tagore, Shankar Mahadevan and Prasoon Joshi will select the best performer from a formidable list of popular singers (including Baba).
And what about film music? “I have just recorded a song for an untitled Yash Raj film starring Abhishek Bachchan. It’s the electronic era. Good music now means you need to be a good arranger. Of course, lyrics still matter. Shabdon ka jaadu mitega nahin (the magic of words is eternal). I do all the writing for my albums. Believe me it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
What next? “Post-dated Cheque,” smiles Baba. Looking at your puzzled expression, he instantly adds, “It is the name of my next album”. But why “Post-dated Cheque”? “You can claim it (read listen to it) whenever you want to,” he laughs.
Oh, Baba!
CHITRA SWAMINATHAN
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