He has rapped for songs like Abhi toh party shuru hui hai (Khoobsurat), Ladki kar gayi chull (Kapoor & Sons), Baby ko bass pasand hai (Sultan), and Selfie le le re (Bajrangi Bhaijaan), and is credited for creating many party anthems. But there was a time when Badshah used to sing songs even for a mere fee of Rs 200. However, the rapper shares that he was always confident about being famous in the future, which is why, he says, he adopted Badshah as his stage name.
“I started my journey nearly a decade back, and the initial time was full of struggles. But
to survive in this industry you need to put up a tough fight. And I knew that I had to win my battle. After all, the one who fights is the one who wins,” says Badshah, who recently performed at The Gardens Galleria Mall in Noida.
He, however, adds that it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to overcome the challenges and succeed in the industry.
Talking about his genre of music, Badshah who has also sung DJ waaley babu and Aaj raat ka scene says that people have over time developed a liking for rap and started accepting it as a part of the music scene. However, on asking his opinion on the fact that rap lyrics have often been slammed for glorifying sex, drugs and being sexist, the artiste says he does not think it is true.
“When you listen to the song Abhi to party shuru hui hai you won’t find a single slang in it. Still, it is one of the most happening and popular party songs of mine,” he tells Metrolife.
Adding, he says that his lyrics draw from everyday situations and conversations, to which he gives a melodic twist. “Once I was travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi with my cousin and was on a call with girl, who suddenly hung up on me. Realising that something was amiss, my cousin asked me what happened and I just casually said ‘Saturday Saturday kardi’ which instantly clicked and got metamorphosed into the song Saturday Saturday kardi rendi ae kudi. Similarly, I heard the word ‘chull’ while travelling on a bus, and it just clicked,” he shares.
But then, his latest numbers — Ladki Kar Gayi Chull and Kala Chashma are remixes of old songs. Is Bollywood running out of new ideas?
“I would rather say these are songs that are worth being told again. And I did not change much in Kala Chashma. There are only a few changes in the beat, nothing else. When there is already an amazing song with such amazing lyrics, but is not as popular as it deserves to be, it gives me immense pleasure to introduce it this way,” he says.