‘When in dilli, I become silly’

Baba Sehgal raps about his Delhi days, from the early 90s

For singer-rapper Baba Sehgal, rap is rhythm, poetry and everything that he is passionate about. “Despite the presence of a few authentic singers, like me, I don’t think rap has arrived in India. Singing a few rap lines in a Bollywood song doesn’t make you a rap singer. It has a definite beginning and an end,” says one of the oldest Hindi rappers in India. With a career spanning over two decades, Sehgal may have left Delhi to pursue a career in Mumbai, but his heart still belongs to the Capital. “I know tum udaoogi meri khilli, I become silly when I go to Dilli. I’m from North. It was during my job in DESU (Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking) in the early 90s, when I decided to quit and leave for Mumbai. I participated in a lot of competitions then and used to win trophies,” says Sehgal. A Kishore Kumar fan, Sehgal has always yearned to become as versatile as the legendary singer. “I love doing a little bit of everything. Be it RJing, VJing, singing or acting. I love performing at concerts, where I get the opportunity to interact with the crowd. Also, I try to be funny on current topics. I love writing that helps me in my songs, and also enhances my new fan base between the 16 to 25 years age group. I’m lucky that I’m able to connect with the youth,” adds the singer who has created numbers such as Black Money, Trump Ka Mania.

He has been trolled extensively on social media, but says, “I take it positively. At least people spend time to write bad things about me. I believe bad is the new good on social media.

From the time I’ve started my YouTube channel and Facebook official page, that is precisely two years ago, my videos on these have generated more than 25 million views.”

I’m from North and my first job was in Delhi. I do a lot of gigs here. Delhi is equally happening as Mumbai BABA SEHGAL, SINGER