Music
The new-age rulers: Delhi Sultanate & Begum X
A duo that is lending reggae a voice in the Indian sub-continent!
Reggae Royals
© Ishaan Suri
Delhi Sultanate & Begum X are India’s premier Reggae artists. The duo has opened for Snoop Lion and Julian Marley in India and have toured across the USA, Europe and Afghanistan. Apart from the numerous music projects they are involved in, they have taken on reggae music and made it truly Indian in essence. We had a quick chat with them and here’s what they had to say:
Q: Before we begin with anything else: what's the story of your stage names Delhi Sultanate and Begum X?
Delhi Sultanate: As an Indian reggae artist, I wanted a name that represents where I’m from, especially when I do shows outside the country. Also, I’m a history student and I liked the idea of a name that refers back to an earlier time in our history; a time when a lot of the Hindu-Muslim syncretic cultural trends that have made this place so rich and unique began. People have asked me why I picked the name of an empire, given that Reggae music is so much about empowering the grassroots. But I tell them that there is a long tradition of reggae artists assuming names and titles that signify power. A lot of of Reggae artists have names that are prefixed with General, Brigadier, Lt., King, Prince, Queen etc.
Begum X: In reggae music and Rastafari, men and women are refered to as ‘kings’ and ‘queens’. Women are sometimes called ‘empress’. ‘Begum’ is the Indian equivalent. ‘X’ means a lot of things to us; it signifies our broken identities; it is also a tribute to Malcolm X.
In times of slavery, a slave had to take on the last name of his/her colonial master. In his biography, Malcolm X said the 'X' symbolised the true African family name that he could never know. The question of identity – erased, imposed and owned – is interesting to me. Thus, the name Begum X.
Q: You play Reggae and Ska, which is inherently political. How did you begin your journey?
DS: My first experience with reggae was when I was a kid in Germany where my mom was teaching. It was rebellious and free-thinking which appealed to me. At that time, a lot of kids from an immigrant background took to Hip-Hop and Reggae music to express themselves. Black music first introduced revolutionary ideas and thinking into our lives. I believe that we had a lot to learn from Africans and Jamaicans and they could learn from us. Reggae, for me, was a platform that could collectively bring us all together.
Begum X: My journey as a reggae artist began in 2009, before which I never considered myself as an musician. And on one fine day, I found myself immersed in it or rather it was immersed into me (like tea leaves in boiling water). I understood quite early on, that an immersion in Reggae and Ska was incomplete without understanding the historical context in which they came about. Jamaica and India have a shared history and they are still facing the effects of their colonial past.
Reggae and Ska, traditionally talk about anything that affects one's daily life; and especially about those things that people shy away from telling you or things that are purposefully hidden. That’s why the genres are also known as ‘reality music’. Politics affects our lives more than we realise. It is in this context that you can say that these genres are also political.
In the context our lives in India and in the world of 2015, our function as Reggae artists in this disturbed society is to share the reality that we see and to not be afraid to ask questions. How else will we elevate ourselves?
Q: You've been associated with the sounds of Dancehall, Hip-Hop and Spoken Poetry. How has the scene changed over the years?
DS: The scene has grown a lot, more music is available and people have become more exposed and adventurous in their tastes. In the early 2000s, there weren’t many spoken word or slam poetry events being held in Delhi. In recent years, a lot more events are being organised for spoken word and poetry, which is great!
A lot of kids nowadays are rapping and writing lyrics too. In India, a good handful of people are also pushing reggae music along with us. The Reggae Rajahs and Dakta Dub have given a good boost to reggae music here.
Begum X: We’ve seen things evolve in the last six years that we’ve been trying to push our music. We used to feel a need to explain ourselves and we used to really try to ‘entertain’. People weren’t familiar with our style of music. We don’t have to do that anymore. Of course, it also means that we’ve grown up and are more comfortable in our skins, but it also tells me that people have a taste now for these genres and are looking to express themselves and interact with people who express themselves honestly.
Q: How does the collaboration of Delhi Sultanate + Begum X work out?
Begum X: I find that it works quite well actually. I can’t do what DS can do and he can’t do what I do! We balance each other out. The ‘Delhi Sultanate and Begum X’ act, in Reggae music is called a ‘combination’ – consisting of a singer and a rapper / toaster. We started performing together with our band ‘The Ska Vengers’ in 2009. Together we’ve travelled to Afghanistan, Jamaica, Cambodia, Thailand, England, Russia and Slovakia.
DS: I’ve always done solo shows outside the band as well. Our collaboration did our own shows outside of the band for the first time when we toured the US in 2012. We couldn’t travel with the whole band at that time. All places are not conducive for a band set-up. So, we started touring with each other and a DJ. One of our first shows was in San Francisco with Subatomic Sound System from NY. It was a great show and we realised that we can do a lot more shows with just the two of us, old school Jamaican Sound system style.
Q: You guys have two USA and Europe tours on your roster. How different is the music scene in India?
Begum X: Reggae music is immensely popular around the world and you can get a very informed crowd. There are dedicated crowds of reggae-heads! That’s not the case in India. In India, it’s often a scenario where we have a few dedicated reggae fans in the crowd, but mostly we are introducing the genre and vibe to an uninitiated audience, who don’t listen to Reggae music as their main genre. Reggae music is more than just a style or sound, it’s a worldview, a life style!
DS: True. You can't really generalise about the scene abroad either. In both the UK and the US, there seems to me a white reggae scene, a black reggae scene and areas where the two overlap. Performing in front of a largely Jamaican or Caribbean crowd is different from playing for white audiences. Another big difference is that I sing in Patois, Jamaican creole. For my purpose, I find it more expressive than standard English. The drawback is that people can’t always follow the lyrics. They may get the gist of what you’re saying, whereas if you play in Jamaica, or if you sing to Reggae heads, they will pay close attention and scrutinise what you mouth.
Q: How do you write a song? What is the process of making a song?
DS: Let me backtrack a little bit. Jamaican soundsystem culture artists were expected to improvise. The B side of a record would have the instrumental version of the track. In reggae, we call this riddim. At some point in the dance, the DJ would flip the record over and play the instrumental version and singers were expected to improvise and freestyle on this. So, you have to learn to vibe off the music and come up with stuff.
Begum X: This still informs our creative process. Often, we listen to a bassline, or an instrumental and come up with songs, rhymes and melodies. I’m good with coming up with melodies. In a jam session, I could come up with four lines or maybe even one line repeated over and over again. DS and I will vibe off one another, borrowing words and ideas from each other. If the ideas are good, we will sit down later and craft it.
DS: If a bassline, or a rhythm inspires me, I start freestyling. I will have two lines and then improvise and build from there. At this stage, a lot of research and critical reflection comes into the process.
Begum X: This process is sometimes done together, sometimes separately.
DS: My style is different from singing. The Jamaican version of rapping is called toasting. It’s lyrically very dense and relays a lot of information. It helps me pack more words into each line. Toasting, like rapping is a lot about wordplay, metaphors and cultural references.
Begum X: Singing for me, on the other hand, can be more fluid and abstract.
Q: Who are the artists that have inspired you as musicians?
DS: Burning Spear, Capleton, Bounty Killer. Begum X: Nina Simone and Billie Holiday.
Q: Are you excited to get #OffTheRoof? What does your music look like?
DS: Yeah, sure! We’ll just come do our thing. It’s going to be pretty straightforward. The DJ will be spinning some tunes and me and Samara will sing for the audience. We released a new EP, India 2 Africa Bootleg versions. We’ll be playing some tracks from there.
Begum X: This is my first time on the Red Bull Tour Bus. I am curious about the experience!
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