People We Lost in 2022: Sidhu Moose Wala

In May this year, Sidhu Moose Wala aka Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu – one of Punjabi music’s most outspoken and powerful artists – was shot dead by unknown multiple assailants. As details emerged of gangsters, extortion and 28-year-old Moose Wala’s unfettered nature in the face of it all, India’s young mourned the loss of an artist at the peak of his game.

Joining that chorus of mourners were artists all around the world, from Drake to Bohemia to Burna Boy. Moose Wala’s death prompted a huge surge in streams on digital platforms like YouTube and Spotify, especially ominous songs like “The Last Ride” and “295.” With thousands attending his funeral in Punjab in late May, the legacy of Moose Wala has so far been closely guarded by his family, who recently gave their approval for a release by Burna Boy and Punjabi-Brit producer Steel Banglez.

About a month after his death, “SYL” was out and removed from YouTube following a legal complaint from the Indian government over Moose Wala’s lyrics about Sutlej Yamuna Link rivers and Sikh political prisoners, although the song is available to stream now. Regardless of the status of posthumous songs that the prolific artist may have banked, Moose Wala’s catalog remains a towering, indefatigable testament to a fearless artist who spoke for Punjabi youth especially.

Stories of resistance and victory, but also the land he called his home were a major part of Moose Wala’s discography, as heard on even his 2022 EP No Name, with songs like “Never Fold.” In 2021, he released his magnum opus – the 32-track, 97-minute runtime Moosetape. Flexing his journey so far while also warding off his so-called competition, Moose Wala stood tall over any artist in modern Punjabi and Indian music and he had collaborations with Bohemia (“These Days”), Raja Kumari (“US”) and DIVINE (“Moosedrilla”) on the album. It became the most streamed album of 2022 on Spotify in India.

With the release of 2017’s “So High,” Moose Wala showed the world he was not here to mess around. It also arguably marked a flashpoint in the way the artist would be targeted by gangsters, given that he wasn’t just talking about guns to ward off fellow wannabe Punjabi hip-hop artists. The glorification of gun culture in Moose Wala’s lyrics continue to be a point of discussion between his critics and supporters, even as he went on to release his album Pbx 1 in 2018, with songs like “Jaat Da Muqabala” and “Dawood” and “Death Route.”

Heavily fixated on the ruthless gangster culture that permeates Punjab, Moose Wala kept the hits coming for several years. It’s what he’ll be remembered for, even as more projects may come to the front in the future.