Making of 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.”

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 was murdered 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, 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 theBest Punjabi Album at the UK Asian Music Awards.