FROM UNDERGROUND TO BILLBOARD
Rise To Fame Of Cultural Icon “The Babar Mangi”
By Sindhia Khan
By Sindhia Khan
Have you listened to Coke Studio’s most recent release, “Aayi Aayi”? You might be wondering who the new performers are in that song, especially the rapper, since Gen-Z seems to love him the most.
I delved into Babar Mangi’s story to learn about him and his behind-the-scenes experience of working with Coke Studio. Babar is a passionate individual who is essentially from Sukkur. The career began in 2014, when he was a kid, and his elder brother used to listen to Eminem and Lil Wayne. This caught his attention, and he began to listen to hip-hop.
He started writing his own words in Sindhi, recorded audio versions of his raps and then created music videos for them. He was inspired to perform music and rap as a hobby. He started editing images at the age of 13 and continued for eight years straight. After moving to Karachi, Babar received his degree in media science with a major in films from the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology University (SZABIST).
According to Babar:
“Rapping is my go-to activity that brings me thrills much like sports do for others; writing lyrics and making music is my sport.”
He had been composing, writing, and producing all of his music on his own up until this point, when he hired a manager, a writer, and a producer to help with the more difficult tasks. His favorite instrument is all types of guitars because,
“Guitar is a versatile and self-sufficient instrument capable of bringing any song to life on its own, without the need for accompaniment; the guitar is a solo superstar.”
Right now, he’s experimenting with different Sindhi cultural instruments to get more textures.
Talking about his most recent releases, including “Ham Sindh me rehne wale Sindhi” and “Wadiyon wadiyon galhyun,” which features catchy lines from other songs that Babar sampled for his raps. His unique style sparked public attention, pioneering Sindhi hip-hop culture with hit single tracks that made him a genre icon.
Coke Studio approached Babar because his unique style was exactly what their song needed. In his case, Xulfi responded to one of his Instagram stories featuring his song “Hikro kafi ahn.” Xulfi messaged,
“This is wonderful; let’s do something together.”
The theme of the song “Aayi Aayi” carries a universal message. It draws from the Sindhi folktale of “Umar Marvi,” where a king falls in love with a girl and takes her away. However, she bravely fights for her freedom and returns to her people, rejecting the royal lifestyle imposed upon her. Essentially, the song encourages individuals to defy their circumstances and assert their own path. Working with a label taught so much more to Babar. He said,
“We just don’t have to create the music; we have to create a world that listeners ought to be deeply immersed in.”
Babar currently only has individual tracks available but is considering releasing an album. In an effort to showcase talented yet underrated young Sindhi artists, he plans to collaborate with figures such as Amjad Meerani, Arsalan Sheikh, Noman Ali, and potentially Sanam Marvi in the future. Additionally, Babar will soon release his next song, which he hinted will include a music video.
Babar fans, eagerly anticipating new music, are in for a treat. He prefers Spotify to YouTube, although he initially started uploading his music videos on YouTube because Spotify wasn’t available in Pakistan at the time. Turning hate into motivation is his mantra. He acknowledges that along with fame comes criticism, but he uses it as fuel to drive his creativity even further.
When asked about pioneering a new genre of Sindhi hip-hop music, he expressed,
“I always dreamed of this, and I made it happen. It takes courage to stick with something you’ve created, especially when unconventional ideas take time to be accepted in our society.”
He also encourages listeners to pay close attention to the lyrics of his songs, like in “Aayi Aayi,” where he urges them to “fold your dreams and drown the water,” meaning to achieve the seemingly impossible.
He added,
“I aim to resonate deeply with my audience through my lyrics; music is just the medium for it.”
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