MC Square Talks New Song ‘Mat Maari’ and Working on Web Series ‘Chamak’

About a year on since appearing on hip-hop show MTV Hustle, MC Square is moving on to bigger things with his latest project, creating the hotheaded song “Mat Maari” for the soundtrack to Sony LIV series Chamak, in which he also has a cameo playing himself. 

Square, who released his single “Laado” earlier this year, is keen to hear some feedback about his acting. “It’s a small part where I’m playing myself. I hope people tell me what they thought of my acting and my song. If they like it, I’ll be back on screen,” he says with a laugh. 

The show narrates the story of Kaala, a young aspiring rapper who returns home to Punjab from Canada and examines the death of a legendary singer named Taara Singh, who was slain on stage during a packed performance. Does Square see a few similarities with real life events? “We can’t say it’s a real story, but it’s more inspired by real events. There’s not just one issue, but all kinds obstacles and issues that an artist faces along the way in their lives. Some of these issues are talked about in the series,” he says. Terming it a “relatable story,” the “Ram Ram” rapper hopes that it throws a spotlight on artists and their life and times. Square adds, “We’ve been hearing about these kind of stories in real life since our childhood, even seen it around us.”

Approached by Chamak director Rohit Jugraj, MC Square says he’d heard of the filmmaker’s Punjabi movies and worked on “Mat Maari” after getting a brief about the script. The rapper appears on the soundtrack alongside many notable stars of the Punjabi music industry, including Gippy Grewal, Asees Kaur, Mika and leading artists like Sunidhi Chauhan and composer Vikram Montrose. “Mat Maari” is composed by Montrose, with additional lyrics by Shekhar Astitwa. 

Watch the video for “Mat Maari” below.

Square says that with “Mat Maari,” he wanted to show how there’s really no difference between established and upcoming artists. “An artist is just that, an artist. This is what I wanted to address through the song. The best way to do that was also by talking about my own journey – I was upcoming and now I’m a bit established. I think it was fitting within the story of the series,” he says. 

The song and series arrives just at the end of a fruitful year for MC Square. He released “Gurjari” earlier this month and put out another single “Mashooka” a few months ago. He counts “Laado” as his favorite project in 2023 and Sidhu Moose Wala’s posthumous track “Watch Out” (featuring Sikander Kahlon) as his favorite desi hip-hop song of 2023. “At the top, I’ll always put Sidhu Moose Wala,” he says of the late Punjabi star. 

Among his favorite gigs remained close to home, performing at JLN Stadium in New Delhi in October. “I felt one with the audience and everyone was putting in a lot of effort into the show,” he adds. Coming up, there’s a promised EP from MC Square in 2024, plus singles. He adds with a laugh, “You can expect a scene takeover from me.”