It was while studying engineering in Chandigarh that Badshah was exposed to new Punjabi music.
Badshah is a whole different world - you know, a world filled with beats, rhythms, and obviously, insane energy. The moment he appears in front of you, be it on the screen or the stage, you know that you are going to forget everything for some time and get lost in his performance. He has that super-stylish appearance (with his oversized jacket, baggy pants, and cool sneakers) that you can never get enough of. And man, when he shouts, "Ish Yo Boy Baad-uh-sh-aa-ah...!!!", you simply can't help but cheer with him. You don't really bother to dissect the lyrics and find depth or philosophy (well, there aren't any); it's all about enjoying the vibes - and that's what makes Badshah so special!
Born on November 19, 1985, Badshah is primarily a rapper and is also a singer, songwriter, music producer, and businessman. Known as "the cool dude" in the industry, he has brought underground sounds to the mainstream, making significant contributions to Indian hip-hop and rap music alongside Bollywood music. His best works in Bollywood include "Garmi" in 'Street Dancer 3D', "Kar Gayi Chull" in 'Kapoor and Sons', and "Proper Patola" in 'Namaste England'.
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The celebrated musician turns 39 today. On this occasion, we share an interesting fact about him that you didn't know.
I agree, it doesn't go with Badshah's image. But yes, the rapper was once an engineer. After completing his schooling at Bal Bharati Public School, Pitampura, Delhi, he enrolled as a student of civil engineering at the Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh. Then, he worked as an engineer at a company for quite some time before venturing into the music world.
It's worth noting that while studying engineering, Badshah was exposed to new Punjabi music, which later prompted him to try rap writing.
Speaking about his journey from being an engineer to a musician, he shared in an interview, "I went to St. Stephen's for one month, but then later joined an engineering college in Chandigarh. After my education, I had a job as well. Helmet pehenkejaatatha main site par. But I never really liked it much. Thankfully, I got my chance at music and there was no looking back. Now, I say that I was always a musician who happened to be a civil engineer. I only wanted to do something in music."
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"I still remember after a lot of begging we got an opportunity to open for Euphoria and were asked to perform for 15 minutes. When we started 15 minutes turned into 30 minutes then those 30 turned into 45; the audience wouldn't let us go. It was a crazy night," he added.
Well, it didn't take Badshah long to realize that engineering wasn't what he would like to do for the rest of his life. However, he found it extremely difficult to convince his parents about the same. In his words, "When I first told my parents I want to be a rapper, they asked me, 'Yeh rap hotakyahai'. And to make them understand I showed them a music video featuring rapper 50 Cent. That didn't put things in my favor, because it was an obscene video. After that, they told me 'Betepehle bade ho jao, phir jo karna ho wohkarlena'. It was difficult to convince my parents that I want to be a rapper. The only Indian reference to rapping was Baba Sehgal, which was again very unconvincing."
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Obviously, Badshah isn't his real name (As Tanmay Bhatt said in one of his podcasts,“That would be too much of a coincidence!”). He was born as Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodiya.
As a child, he aspired to become an astronaut.
During his initial days in the music industry, he was known as "Cool Equal". Later, he changed his name to Badshah.
Back in 2019, he earned a Guinness World Book Record as his song "Paagal" garnered 74.8 million views within just 24 hours of its release.
Happy Birthday, Badshah. Wish You A Rocking Year Ahead!
