Make way for the wedding rapper

Music Maker

Just like cricket and Bollywood, the big fat Indian weddings is also a euphoric occasion for Indians of all hues.

From destination weddings on remote islands in the Pacific to royal affairs in Udaipur, what has become a rage, adding fun and entertainment quotient, is the Wedding Rap. In the last decade or so the popular neighbourhood orchestra with colloquial talent has made way for leading Bollywood singers entertaining at wedding dos, while the good old giddha and bhangra at Ladies Sangeet has now transformed into fully orchestrated stage performances. Amidst this melee  of singers, band-bajaawallahs and sundry other entertainment providers crowding the space, a new entity has emerged with a unique blend of music and humour known as Siddharth Sood aka MC Sid - the Wedding Rapper. “Rap is an acronym for rhythm and poetry. A good analogy can be swimming. As in swimming there are different strokes, rap too has varieties. One amongst them is freestyle rap which includes wedding rap. It makes up for an interactive act where you have to make up the lyrics on the spot. To make it catchy I make it rhyme with the music,” says Sid.

Sid’s composition of lyrics is spontaneous and original. He entertains the crowd by mixing his lyrics with popular hip hop beats. He also uses Punjabi break beats in his compositions that indigenise the content and helps an easy connect with the select gathering. Sid says his rap is “By a desi, of a desi, for a desi” which increases the appreciation of his talent.

Siddharth started wedding rap a decade ago in 2004. He used to perform in night clu­bs, worked in a music channel VH1  and was also VJ in Channel V for six months. “It was in 2007 when a guy saw me perform in a night club and asked me to perform in a wedding,” he says.  

Sid gives a Bollywood twist to the rap he composes. “I try to include names of the mo­vies and actor to entertain the wedding audience rather than making fun of people. Interestingly, when I did this in my first act, people loved it and I was once again called for the sangeet ceremony,” says Sid, calling it the end of his gigs in clubs.So far he has performed in weddings across India and abroad, including destination weddings at Goa, Bombay, Delhi, Agra, Madrid, Bang­kok, Colombo, Hong Kong etc. In all these places he has even performed with celebrity singers like Mikka, Yo Yo Honey Singh and music composer Vishal and Shekhar.

There is an interesting story  behind Sid’s love for rap. “While I was studying in Gyan Bharti School, Delhi, singer Eminem’s album had just been released. One day while I was leaving my coaching class, two girls asked me to drop them. In order to impress the girls, who were sitting in the backseat of the car, I began to sing Eminem’s song. I did not know the exact lyrics but was making my own lines instantaneously. I impressed the girls and it was also the beginning of me becoming a rapper,” chuckles Sid.