#19 – Bhangra and hip hop

In this episode, Sunny sets Marcus a challenge: Listen to some carefully selected Bhangra tracks, analyse and evaluate them, and then give feedback without upsetting about 190 million people.

Bhangra originates from a folk dances of the same name from the Punjab region in South Asia, traversing the modern-day Indian and Pakistani borders. The Punjab is famous for its agriculture, but has been the location of political, cultural and religious disagreements over the years (understatement definitely intended). However, the music that grew out of the area is widely recognised world-wide, centred around the sounds of Dhor drums and Tanpura.

With the growth of the diaspora in the UK and USA from the 1970s, the incorporation of elements of hip-hop and popular western music has created what is normally described as the catch-all for Punjabi music: Bhangra.

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