Exclusive: Emiway Bantai on Keeping The Legend of Sidhu Moose Wala Alive With Tribute Track

Released earlier this week, Mumbai hip-hop artist Emiway Bantai’s “Tribute To Sidhu Moosewala” comes just as the world remembers the late Punjabi hip-hop star on his third death anniversary.

With a video that speaks to the ambition and poise of Moose Wala—who passed away at the age of 28 in 2022—the song also samples his 2019 track “Dogar.” Made with producer Tony James, “Tribute To Sidhu Moosewala” opens with the original track’s vocals before Emiway brings his snarling rap to the front, reflecting on legacy and crafting hits like Moose Wala.

Emiway tells Rolling Stone India in an exclusive interview that he and Moose Wala had been in touch on WhatsApp “for a long time.” He adds, “We often discussed how we could create a song together and get into the studio. We used to exchange ideas on what could be created together.”

While there have been several tributes to Moose Wala in the years since his passing, it’s a new thematic space of sorts for Emiway. He talks about doing a tribute with sensitivity, saying, “I feel like when you’re making something so special, intuition is your best guide. I truly understand what he stood for and how much his fans love him. I just sat in the studio and let it flow—line after line. It’s a heartfelt tribute to the legend, in my own signature style.”

The song is part of Emiway’s upcoming EP Bajis, which he’s dropping one track at a time. “Tribute to Sidhu Moosewala” is the third track after “Badshah” and “Josh Mei,” with a common thread of sampling famous tunes. “Badshah” sampled the catchy “Baadshah O Baadshah” portion from the 1999 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Baadshah with songs composed by Anu Malik. “Josh Mei” brought the urgency of a hook from “Sailaru Sailare” from the 2000 movie Josh, whose soundtrack was also composed by Malik. The rapper gained access to sampling these film songs through Believe Artist Services, whose parent label owns the Venus Records & Tapes catalog (now called Ishtar Music).

Emiway says, “The response has been more than I expected. People have shown a lot of love for both ‘Badshah’ and ‘Josh Mei.’ This is the first time I’ve worked with samples from some iconic songs, and the love we’ve received has been truly fulfilling.” The EP Bajis takes its title from Mumbai slang, derived from the word bajao (to play). The rapper explains, “Bajis is when a group of friends or people vibe together. All five songs in the Bajis EP are bangers and I want everyone to go out and bajao these tracks.”