Noughties pop legend unrecognisable 21 years after iconic global hit, working with Jay Z and Hollywood movie success
NOUGHTIES pop legend Panjabi MC looks unrecognisable 21 years after releasing Mundian To Bach Ke.
Now 50-years-old, the rapper and producer got to work with Jay Z on the iconic global hit, which sold 10 million copies worldwide.
It even won him an MTV EMA, as well as a MOBO Award.
The track continues to be played across the globe today, and was included in the BAFTA-nominated film The White Tiger in 2020.
Panjabi MC, real name Rajinder Singh Rai, sports a very different look these days, though.
He raised eyebrows with a recent video shared to Instagram, in which he promoted a concert alongside Tru-Skool in Birmingham.
Reflecting on his one-hit-wonder, Punjabi recently told The Guardian he lost 90% of the publishing share to Universal Music Group.
Mundian To Bach Ke samples the theme tune of 80s TV show Knight Rider.
But it wasn’t until after its release that the DJ realised he didn’t have permission to use it, admitting, “We lost a lot of money.”
He added, “Labels suddenly thought that bhangra was the new thing.
“At nightclubs, I’d come on as the headline act after two or three hours’ of other acts, and by that time the crowd didn’t wanna hear more Indian stuff!
“They’d be like, ‘We’ve had enough of this, mate!’ They overdid it. But people live and learn. Our kids will see where we went wrong, and their kids will see where they went wrong.”
Panjabi continues to put music out, most recently an album called 56 Districts in 2019.
His last single was Moorni (Balle Balle), which did not chart upon its 2010 release.
