Tuesday

Desi Artists Going Mainstream

By: Tirusha Dave

It’s very rare that we come across artists from our community who are talented enough to land a deal with a mainstream American record label. Nonetheless, two artists – Nivla and Parag Oberoi – stood proud, and against the odds, showcasing their fusion of Hip-Hop and Punjabi lyrics – captivating not just the Desi listener, but even the American ears!

Many were surprised when they turned on the Fox 5 morning news one day in January and saw Soul Tap Records recording artist Nivla rapping, “My Gujaratis, Punjabis, and all my Sindhis turn it out right…fellow Malayalees reppin’ hard for the South side… parties, we rockin’ ‘em, me and Parag and ‘em, Soul Tap run sh-t ain’t no stoppin’ ‘em“, followed by P. Oberoi’s sultry Punjabi vocals, “Ho ni mein jhoot boleya, koi na, ni mein kuffer toleya, koi na kaadi vi dil todeya, koi na, bai koi na.”

Question: Who are Nivla and P. Oberoi and what’s the hype behind these two boys?

Soul Tap Records – Nivla, P. Oberoi, Raj “RVM Sounds” Makhija & DJ Sharad – is the first South Asian act to be placed on such a high pedestal in the mainstream market, and did I fail to mention that they also landed a record deal with Interscope Records? Yes, the same record label who house artists such as Dr. Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent!

With the Internet-infected age we live in today, Nivla and P. Oberoi are internationally known because of a Doritos-sponsored contest, Crash the Superbowl, which the entered a few months ago. Ultimately the winner of the contest had a 60-second video clip aired during the Superbowl. Voters across America had to log into Myspace once a day and cast their vote for who they wanted to see ‘crash the Superbowl.’ With months of heavy promotional campaigns and national followings (not just young Desis…aunties and uncles were voting too), Soul Tap Records went from being one of 400+ entries to the Top 3 finalists in the contest.

They were treated like celebrities when they flew to L.A. to shoot their video for the song the entered into the contest, “Be Easy (Koi Na).” During the Superbowl, the Soul Tap crew waited patiently to see whose video was going to be aired. Though Soul Tap didn’t attain recognition with their video aired on national TV, they got what only many South Asian artists dream of right now – a record deal with a mainstream record label – not to mention that they were also featured in mainstream media such as MTV, The Wall Street Journal, Fox 5 News, and the WB 11 News!

“The first song we recorded together was Be Easy,” Nivla asserted, “Talk about luck! The first joint we vibed off together ended up getting us top three in the Doritos competition. Once I heard the beat, I knew that Parag and I would kill it. The rest is history!”

And ‘history’ is right! When Nivla and P. Oberoi were named as one of the Top 3 finalists, history was made. Until Nivla and P. Oberoi hit the mainstream limelight, urban South Asian artists in the U.S. were never looked at with much attention; people thought that it was merely a passing phase. However, to these two boys, it wasn’t just a phase.

They live, breathe, eat, and sleep music; it’s in their blood.

So what are the ingredients to creating the perfect track? It’s quite simple actually! Nivla brings a zest of Hip-Hop, while P. Oberoi is a dash of Punjabi masala to the music created by Soul Tap Records!

“I became a member of this group after the first track I did with Nivla, Be Easy,” Parag stated, “We had a really good working relationship and instantly clicked. We knew we were on the cusp of something new and great so we decided to pursue it further.”

Two months after the Superbowl contest, Nivla and P. Oberoi are working harder than ever to show to the fans and admirers that they are passionate about music, spending endless hours in the studio working on new and hot songs. As role models to those who want to make a career in music, Nivla and P. Oberoi have raised the bar for South Asian artists across the world and have proven that our community has the ability, talent, stamina, and determination to head mainstream.

Check out their video for this amazing song on: www.soultaprecords.com. And of course, make sure you support independent artists and buy their song “Be Easy (Koi Na)” from iTunes!