Ishleen Kaur unravels motive behind Moose Wala’s murder

He was a storm and storms donrsquot lastrdquo says a character in The Killing Call BBCrsquos killer twopart documentary thatrsquos dropped on YouTube on the assassination of hiphop star Sidhu Moose Wala nee Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu in rural Punjab May 29 2022Another character exclaims how Sidhu packed 50 years into a fiveyear career ldquoTwo films three albums an EP 3035 songs even leakedhelliprdquo An absolute glocal sensationWhich was also my first thought learning about Yo Yo Honey Singh from Mozez Singhrsquos doc Famous on Netflix mdash that his rise before fall lasted three years 20122014 reallyBadshah became the new Honey perhaps Diljit Dosanjh the reigning Badshah thereafter Karan Aujla is probably the big kid on the blockBarring the turban and the language of expression itrsquos equally a mystery to me how so much of current Punjabi hophop stardom fits so seamlessly into AfricanAmerican popculture without quite coming across as caricaturesfakeryBBC investigative journalist Ishleen Kaur PicBBCAnd I donrsquot just mean sartorially as in bling leather jackets or even affectionately public displays of wealth fast carsSUVshellip But also the general expression of talking oneself up as gangsters for roleplay guns guards girlshellipLondonbased investigative journalist Ishleen Kaur whorsquos copresented The Killing Call tells me that while she grew up around this music in Punjab in the rsquo90s she didnrsquot quite make the connection thenAs she sees it now ldquoAt the core of both cultures is a shared story of being pushed to the sidelines mdash AfricanAmericans in the US and rural Punjabis whether back home or working hard abroadldquoLife wasnrsquot handed to either group on a silver platter Maybe thatrsquos why music became their way of pushing back flipping the script and making their voices heard mdash even if wrapped up in gold chains flashy rides and designer threadsldquoIn Punjabi music the lsquogabrursquo lines up pretty well with the lsquogangstarsquo in American hiphoprdquoAs per Ishleenrsquos doc Brampton off Toronto Canada is the ldquomother loderdquo of this music scene Irsquove been there once to attend the inauguration of Raj Kapoor StreetWhich tells you how much of a PunjabiIndian outpost that city is Itrsquos from where Sidhu found astounding globalcrosscultural fameBut soon enough returned home that you know from Sidhursquos stagename is the villagepind Moosa in Mansa district PunjabFame access power What follows in the chilling Killing Call is Sidhu perhaps naturally widening his network of powerful plus shady friends hence enemiesIt feels no different from Bollywoodrsquos runins with the underworld in the rsquo90s The latter love to fraternise with the famous everybody does mdash especially if the former are acceptably fine with itAlso itrsquos one thing for Sidhu to pen lyrics about gangsters another to be in their proximity The threatrsquos more realSidhursquos onstage signaturestep was lsquothapi maarrsquo slapping his thigh from kabaddi thatrsquos basically a sign of public defiancechallenge mdash do what you wantHis songs also addressed political issues social injustice and marginalisation even if a lirsquol fuzzy on history Irsquom toldTherersquos an essential strand of caste specifically lsquoJattwaadrsquo for jaatiwaad that frames Sidhursquos worldview explained indepth by Shiv Inder Singh for Caravan August 2022 lsquoHollow Cult of Sidhu Moose Walarsquo that the documentary skips altogetherAdd to this mix state politics linked to Punjabrsquos contemporarypostrsquo80s bloodied history gang rivalries allegedly implied even in song lsquoBambiha Bolersquo sticking neck out for farmersrsquo protests joining Congress Party fighting electionhellipYou realise from The Killing Call that Sidhu was anything but just a writersinger He adored Tupac Shakur similarly murdered in 1996Itrsquos a shame that I knew next to nothing about Sidhu until his assassination Let alone his greatest global hits lsquoSo Highrsquo lsquo47rsquo lsquo295rsquo etcHis shocking death was a strange career move Also says a lot about how we donrsquot operate in a mainstream monoculture anymoreThat said Indians in general wouldrsquove first heard the name of his assassins the Lawrence Bishnoi gang Lawrence was already in jail then only upon Sidhursquos murderThey took Sidhursquos fame to spread their own notoriety and have dominated Indiarsquos tabloid news since whether for extortion threatscalls alleged hitjobs including targeting hiphop star AP Dhillonrsquos home in Victoria Island CanadaHours after Sidhursquos murder Goldy Brar from Lawrencersquos gang publicly claimed responsibility Nobodyrsquos gone on trial for the murder sinceDespite the highprofile nature of the crime thatrsquos not even a whodunnit At best itrsquos a whydunnit Nobodyrsquos nabbed Goldy eitherIn whatrsquos the calling card for The Killing Call Ishleen spent months attempting to trace gangster Goldy ldquothrough every possible channel a constant cycle of persistence and patiencerdquoAnd then ldquoone crisp autumn afternoonrdquo she got a call It was Goldy Brar currently on Interpolrsquos wantedlist This ainrsquot platforming Itrsquos plain dogged journalism with sharply pointed questioningThey spoke on voice messages recorded over six hours Excerpts of which make it to the doc thatrsquos about so much more than murderAlthough anybody getting away with it so easily feels frightening Howrsquos that anywayIshleen tells me ldquoItrsquos almost unbelievablehellip Even more surprising is how Punjabi organised crime has in many ways migrated to the West with operations now being directed from abroad As for Goldy Brar the truth ishellip He could be anywhererdquoMayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass cultureHe tweets mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper