by Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, best known by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala (11 June 1993 – 29 May 2022), was an Indian musician, rapper, actor, and politician involved with Punjabi music and cinema. He began his career as a songwriter for Ninja’s song “License,” and then moved on to singing in a duet called “G Wagon.” Following his debut, he teamed with Brown Boyz on a number of Humble Music-released tunes. With his song “So High,” Moose Wala drew a lot of attention. His debut album, PBX 1, debuted at number 66 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart in 2018. He began publishing his tracks independently after the release of the album. The UK Singles Chart placed his 2019 single “47” at number one. The Guardian named Moose Wala one of the top 50 emerging artists in 2020. Ten of his songs have charted on the United Kingdom’s Asian charts, with two of them reaching number one. On the global YouTube music chart, his song “Bambiha Bole” was in the top five. In 2021, he published Moosetape, which had songs that charted on the Canadian Hot 100, UK Asian, and New Zealand Hot charts, among others.
Moose Wala was noted for his contentious lyrical style, which frequently promoted gun culture while also confronting religious feelings, like in the case of Mai Bhago, a venerated figure in Sikhism. He’d been sued for promoting gun culture and utilizing aggressive and inciting lyrics in his music. There were four criminal cases against him as of 2022. Moose Wala was a member of the Indian National Congress who ran for the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Mansa in 2022 but lost. On May 29, 2022, he was shot and killed by unknown assailants.
Early life Of Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu was born in the village of Moosa in Punjab’s Mansa district. Father Bhola Singh and his mother Charan Kaur raised him in a Sikh home. He studied electrical engineering at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College in Ludhiana and graduated in 2016. Tupac Shakur was a rapper who Moose Wala respected and was influenced by. From the sixth grade, he began listening to hip-hop music and gained musical talents from Harvinder Bittu in Ludhiana. He chose “Moose Wala” for his stage name as a tribute to his home village of Moosa, according to statements he made when campaigning.
Career Of Sidhu Moose Wala
Moose Wala relocated to Brampton, Ontario, Canada after graduating. While he was staying there, he released his first song, “G Wagon.” In 2016, he began performing live gigs in India. He had also given performances in Canada. In 2017, Moose Wala made a splash with the song “So High,” a gangster rap collaboration with Byg Byrd. At the 2017 Brit Asia TV Music Awards, he received Best Lyricist for the song. “Issa Jatt,” “Tochan,” “Selfmade,” “Famous,” and “Warning Shots” were among his hit tracks. He was nominated for the Best New Age Sensation category at the 2018 PTC Punjabi Music Awards for “Issa Jatt.” He released his debut film soundtrack song, “Dollar,” in August 2018 for the film Dakuaan Da Munda.
Moose Wala launched his debut album PBX 1 in October 2018, which is a mix of pop and hip-hop. On the Canadian Albums Chart, the album reached number one. At the 2019 Brit Asia TV Music Awards, Moose Wala took up the Best Album Award, as well as Track of the Year, Best International Male Act, and Best Lyricist.
In 2019, Moose Wala launched his own record label, Moose Wala Records, which has since produced a number of tunes. “Sidhu’s Anthem,” “Mafia Style,” “Poison” (a collaboration with R Nait), “Sohne Lagde,” and “Homicide” are among the songs released. He also worked as a producer on Prem Dhillon’s “Boot Cut.” Due to violent incidents at Moose Wala’s previous performances, his performance at the Surrey Music Festival was canceled in June 2019. His track “47,” which featured Mist and Stefflon Don, charted in the top 20 in the United Kingdom. The song also reached the Hot 40 singles chart in New Zealand. The single “Dhakka” by Moose Wala brought the year to a close.
Along with Maninder Buttar and Karan Aujla, he was named one of the most popular singers in Punjab by Spotify in 2019.
In 2020, he was featured in Prem Dhillon’s song “Old Skool.” The song was followed by “Tibeyan Da Putt,” which reached number 8 on the Apple Music charts in India and topped the iTunes charts. “911” and “8 Cylinder” were among the singles that followed the tune. Moose Wala announced his second studio album, Snitches Get Stitches, on his Instagram account in May 2020, and it was released the following day. In the same month, he released “Dear Mama,” a single dedicated to his mother’s birthday.
In June 2020, he released the song “Bambiha Bole” with Amrit Maan, which charted at number 25 in India and 81 in Canada on Apple Music. Within twenty-four hours, its music video has been viewed over 10 million times. On the Apple Music chart, the song reached number one in India and reached the top 50 in Canada and New Zealand. It topped the UK Asian charts and made the top five on the global YouTube rankings. Moose Wala and Shooter Kahlon released “Game” in September 2020, which became his first song to chart on Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100.
Sidhu Moose Wala’s third studio album, Moosetape, was published in May 2021 and features 32 tracks. He performed with British rapper Mist at the Wireless Festival in London on September 12, 2021. The first Indian singer to play at the festival was Moose Wala.
Moose Wala’s debut EP No Name, featuring AR Paisley, Mr. Capone-E, and Sunny Malton, was released in April 2022 and debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard Top Canadian Albums chart.
Glorification of the Khalistani movement
Moose Wala released a single called “Panjab: My Motherland” in December 2020, in which he praised Khalistani separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Visuals from a speech given by Khalistani supporter Bharpur Singh Balbir in the late 1980s are also included in the song.
Music production
Following the success of his songs with Humble Music, Moose Wala began releasing music on his own in 2018. The first song he released was “Warning Shots,” a diss track directed towards Karan Aujla’s “Lafaafe.” In the same year, T-Series released his first album PBX 1, which was followed by the release of most of his tunes as well as music from other artists under his own label. Snitches Get Stitches, Moose Wala’s second studio album, was released in 2020 on his own label. Moose Wala’s record label, 5911 Records, will be officially launched on August 31, 2020.
Feuds
Both Sidhu Moose Wala and Karan Aujla had a rivalry, and they responded to each other through songs, social media handles, and live performances. Both singers have also been chastised for singing songs that promote violence. Elly Mangat, who was both Sidhu’s and Aujla’s then-colleague, revealed in an interview that the feud between the two singers began when Aujla’s management learned of Sidhu’s video targeting Aujla in his song, and they threatened to attack Sidhu. Following the encounter, both began using social media to harass each other. The feud was temporarily healed until Aujla released “Lafaafe,” a diss track, followed by Moose Wala’s “Warning Shot.” In an interview, Aujla revealed that he did not write the song “Lafaafe” and did not discuss their competition, but admired Sidhu’s work.
Lawsuit
Sidhu Moose Wala was facing four criminal charges as of 2022. Two of the incidents involved indecent scenes.
Two videos of Sidhu Moose Wala went viral on social media in May 2020: one showed him trained to use an AK-47 with the help of cops, while the other showed him using a personal pistol. Following the event, the six officers who had supported him were suspended. He was arrested on the 19th of May under two provisions of the Arms Act. The police initiated raids in an attempt to apprehend Moose Wala, but he eluded capture.
The Barnala District Court rejected Moose Wala’s and five other accused cops’ request for anticipatory bail on June 2.
He was fined by police in Nabha on June 6, 2020, for tinting his automobile windows black beyond what was authorized, and was allowed to depart despite being under lookout; Sidhu Moose Wala wrongly told the officers that he was already on bail. He joined the police inquiry in July and was released on ordinary bail. In the same month, he released the track “Sanju,” in which he compared himself to actor Sanjay Dutt, who was also arrested under the Arms Act. Avneet Sidhu, an Indian sports shooter, slammed the song and accused Moosewala of fostering gun culture. A case was filed against him the next day for releasing the song. Moose Wala claimed in an interview that he was being targeted by various news outlets and lawyers.
Acting career Of Sidhu Moose Wala
Moose Wala made his Punjabi film debut in the film Yes I Am Student, which he produced himself through his company Jatt Life Studios. Tarnvir Singh Jagpal directed the film, which was scripted by Gill Raunta. Teri Meri Jodi featured Moose Wala in 2019. He will release another film, Gunah, in June 2020. On August 22, he published a teaser for his upcoming film, Moosa Jatt, directed by Tru Makers and starring Sweetaj Brar. On August 24, he confirmed the release date of his latest film, Jattan Da Munda Gaun Lagya, directed by Amberdeep Singh, on March 18, 2022.
In December 2018, Sidhu Moose Wala vigorously campaigned for his mother, Charan Kaur, who was elected sarpanch of Moosa village.
Politics career
In the presence of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and PPCC President Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sidhu Moose Wala joined the Indian National Congress.
Sidhu Moose Wala joined the Congress on December 3, 2021, in order to run for the Punjab Legislative Assembly election in 2022. Moose Wala received only 20.52 percent of the vote in the Mansa constituency, losing by 63,323 votes to Vijay Singla of the Aam Aadmi Party. Sidhu Moosewala was charged with violating the election code of conduct during the 2022 election under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. He had conducted a door-to-door campaign in the Mansa constituency after the election campaign’s permissible period had expired.
Sidhu Moose Wala released a song named “Scapegoat” on April 11, 2022, in which he laments his defeat in the 2022 Punjab state assembly elections. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stated that Moose Wala implied in his song that Punjab people were “gaddar” (transl. traitors) for voting for AAP. They also stated that Moose Wala’s song reinforces the Congress’ “anti-Punjab” mentality, and demanded a statement from Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the party’s state unit president, on whether he agreed with Moose Wala’s viewpoints.
The Assassination Of Sidhu Moose Wala
Unidentified assailants shot Moose Wala in his automobile on May 29, 2022 in Jawaharke village, Mansa district. The homicide was allegedly motivated by gang rivalry, according to authorities.
He left his residence with his cousin Gurpreet Singh and neighbor Gurwinder Singh around 4:30 p.m., according to police. Sidhu Moose Wala was driving his black Mahindra Thar SUV, while his father followed in another vehicle. Two additional automobiles intercepted and halted the SUV as it approached the village of Jawaharke. During the incident, 30 shots were fired, injuring two more males. He was pronounced dead at Mansa’s Civil Hospital.
Sidhu Moose Wala was one of 424 people whose police security had been lowered or removed the day before, in preparation for the Operation Blue Star anniversary, leaving him with only two commandos instead of four. Instead of his bullet-proof vehicle and police commandos, Sidhu Moose Wala was traveling in his private automobile with two individuals at the time of the incident.
Aftermath
According to the authorities, Moose Wala’s murder appears to be carried out in retaliation for the assassination of an Akali leader, Vicky Middukhera, in 2021. The assassination of Middukhera was allegedly carried out by Sidhu Moose Wala’s aide. Satinder Singh aka Goldy Brar, a Canadian criminal of Punjabi ancestry, claimed responsibility for the murder. Brar, a close friend of criminal Lawrence Bishnoi, alleged that the shooting was carried out by his “Punjab Module” (gang). Both Brar and Bishnoi are facing criminal charges in India. Bishnoi’s involvement was later established by the Punjab police.
Moose Wala’s father then disclosed in the FIR that Sidhu was receiving death threats from gangsters for extortion purposes, a claim backed up by singer Mika Singh.
The murder was condemned by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He expressed sorrow and anguish over Moose Wala’s death, calling him “a cultural icon of Punjab,” and condoled the aggrieved family. The CM has ordered an investigation into why the Punjab police decreased Moose Wala’s security two days ago. Mann announced the formation of a judicial panel to probe the killing, which will be led by a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
At the crime scene, police discovered AN-94 Russian assault rifle rounds and a pistol. Six people from Uttarakhand have been arrested as suspects in the event. One of the murder suspects was apprehended by Punjab Police on the 30th of May while hiding among the pilgrims at Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib.
The Delhi unit of the Indian National Congress organized a protest at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on 30 May, accusing the AAP-led Punjab government of being to blame for the tragedy, citing the state government’s decision to reduce Sidhu Moosewala’s security cover.
