For the Ladies: “Tell Me What,” A DBD/ABD Hip Hop Video

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Check out the following video, which is currently in rotation on MTV India:

Who are all these people? I hadn’t heard of any of them: the producer and male rapper calls himself Deep (he seems to be an ABD rapper). The woman singing in Hindi (with the short hair) is Pratichee (she is definitely a DBD). The woman singing R&B style, in English, is Janina Gavankar (who has had a role on “The L Word”; she was also featured in an earlier Sepia Mutiny post by Abhi). And the woman rapping — ferociously! — in Punjabi is Navraaz (could not find any links; I have no idea who she is).

I won’t try and translate the Punjabi rap (any takers?), except to say that the English chorus (Back the **** off me) makes a good summary. (I might also add that the lyrics might make even Ms. Hard Kaur blush…)

Incidentally, the label responsible for this track, IndiAudio, has made an MP3 available for downloading here.

What say you?

47 thoughts on “For the Ladies: “Tell Me What,” A DBD/ABD Hip Hop Video”

  3. Pratichee is one of those girls who won that Channel V contest – it was like an Indian Spice Girls thingy but I can’t remember the exact name of the contest – they were a 5 girl group, who made one album and then broke up fairly quickly after that.

  6. Amardeep, those lyrics! Being Punju, I was embarassed by some of those profane words. They seem so Salt n Pepa-ish with such talk.

  7. What say you?

    Since i understand nothing but the english, I’ll take a stab at the production. It’s not extremely derivative but does sound like the tracks that former Grime lyricists are rapping over now: 4/4, funky-house, drowning-in-MIDI-land stuff. It’ll certainly sound okay in a big club, but the drum samples won’t translate. Once you’re off your head though, you won’t care–this aint the track that ruins your evening (unless T-Pain makes an appearance on the remix, then all bets {but not vocoders} are off).

  8. They seem so Salt n Pepa-ish with such talk

    Oye, NOW I’m interested in hearing this. 😉 I remember dancing around like an idiot to “Push it” when I didn’t really know what they were talking about.

  9. Yes, Anna Rani, they are pimpin’ out some lyrics as such. A lot of “yo mamma” references, go to hell, and some freaky deeky insinuations. They are basically saying they don’t need a man to have a good time, and for those idiots drooling over them to go f*ck themselves. In the spirited, colourful Punjabi language, of course.

  10. hmm,the music does not seem very fresh (almost forgettable AFAIAC) and the Punjabi lyrics seem like they are forced and not really fitting in.

  11. They are basically saying they don’t need a man to have a good time, and for those idiots drooling over them to go f*ck themselves. In the spirited, colourful Punjabi language, of course.

    There are some fairly juvenile dots to connect here as well (please to permit me to connect them). Has anyone actually seen Ms. Gavankar’s turn on the L Word as the aggressive latina playa? She takes down Pam Grier’s character like a Bengal Tiger does it’s prey.

  12. I actually enjoyed the colorful Punjabi rap 🙂 I think Dari sums it up, but there are some great threatening comments in there. Some of those phrases remind me of my mom (not the swear words, but the “don’t piss me off!” ones).

  14. Dari, mine was definitely “Yah, pahraa jaa! / Meraa gusaa nah charaa”, although usually my mama doesn’t rhyme when she’s scolding 🙂

  15. Ahh the growing pains of Indian hip/hop definitly hurt like a bitch.

    translation: (I need a man with a good education and moral values and is anti-abortion. Any man that believes in Global warming can take their hybrid vechile and shove it up thir tight ass!! Your mom is a cookie cutter Stanford educated whore, while I am a Princeton educated lady! Dont want no Investment banking hindu, I want a hedge fund managing guju) and the chorus just repeats.)

    Yeah I dont get it either.

  16. It really frightens me when I see the Desi culture being crossed with western crap….

    I mean, Hindi Pop and Bhangra (not to mention Bollywood and the ilk)are my ESCAPE from the homogenized, Marketed Garbage that the US is oh so fond of producing these days.

    Please, oh please keep my Desi entertainment fix free of the western “craptaculator” machine.

  17. This is crap, Indo-yuppie model types from the creamy layers of society pretending to rap

  20. I kind of liked it, until the man opened his mouth… but I have a soft spot for music that would embarrass me if I listened to it in public, with Americans. And by kind of, I just like Pratichee (aww VIVA. I miss being a teenybopper), I’m a bit frightened by Gavankar.

    This is still ages ahead of most other mainstream Indian attempts at hip-hop.

  21. I’m torn. On the one hand, she plays Latina (is it so impossible to have an Indian lesbian on that show?), espouses horribly right-wing views, and appears in this terrible, terrible song. On the other, Ms. Dewey.

    Watching her ‘think’ is sooooo much better than staring at the stupid ‘loading’ signs on most websites.

  22. the song is terrible! cookie cutter sub-standard pseudo-hip hop…it might have a chance if it either sounded good or had compelling lyrics but it just doesn’t. this group also needs to learn some dance moves if they want to be ‘hip hop.’ i’m embarassed for them 🙂

  24. Just seeing people who probably have pet names like Happy and Dimple trying to act “street” causes all sorts of cognitive dissonance.

  25. Just seeing people who probably have pet names like Happy and Dimple trying to act “street” causes all sorts of cognitive dissonance.

    by my standards it is pretty awful, but then it’s not it’s top-40 production style that determines it’s ultimate quality, it’s whether people are annoyed by the song (or not.) What I can’t seem to get over, every time I try to give this song another shot, is that my mind immediately conjures up the image of Janina Gavankar ravishing the pampas-scale expanse of skin exposed by Pam Grier’s decolletage.

  27. …ouch.

    Maybe if I understood Punjabi I would like it more?

    So far Bhool Bhulaiyya still tops my list as best-executed rap in ‘mainstream’ Hindi music (what you might hear on Red FM or MTV India) … and that’s not saying much. But at least it is danceable.

  28. And I thought UK’s Hard Kaur was an angry girl in her songs!! While she has more skills in her music than these “ladyeez’ they sure are acting angrier.

    my pet peeve is sudden ‘rapping’ in the middle of a bollywood hindi song – terrible

  30. Maybe if I understood Punjabi I would like it more?

    No, the song is patently awful. I do enjoy the Punjabi rap, not because it is good, but just because I was like, “she said what???” There is a kitsch appeal to it 🙂

  31. Did he just say “you ain’t chunky, but junk in your trunky?” (2:23)

    scoff Patel rap blows this away, lyrically and musically.

    This is still ages ahead of most other mainstream Indian attempts at hip-hop.

    You’ve obviously need to get your learn on about Baba Sehgal, India’s original gangsta. The guy was such a badass, he even did a version of Hakuna Matata in Hindi. (No rapping, unfortunately, but check the previous link for his sick flow.)

  35. Doesnt this Nazraaz chick look ruff? I mean she looks like the kind of girl that bangs her men in missonary style, but she is the one on top.

  36. I think it’s funny that the Punjabi girl is dressed like a Texan. Anyone draw any parallels between the 2 stereotypes.

    I think it’s incredible that Desis are pretty accurate at drawing on foreign stereotypes. It’s like we are experts at it.

  39. That was assawful. Reminds me of the korean pop videos that imitate second rate American songs. There wasn’t even a good beat.

  40. to be honest… my favorite part of these videos is the background dancers…. hehehe… did anyone see the guy wearing all white who was dancing to the left of the guy rapper? hahahahaha!

    soooo funny… 😛

  41. Namaste friends,

    This is deep from the video, and I just wanted to say I am so flattered to warrant an entry on sepia mutiny! I’ve been an enthusiastic reader for years (thus the link from my site), and I sincerely appreiciate all if the feedback. Life is a journey.

    This first track is what it is, and hopefully after some trial and error I’ll meet you guys on the dancefloor! If it were possible to release this song when it was written, I’d be sitting next to kriss kriss losing the “Best New Artist” Grammy to Milli Vanilli! Just kidding (mutineers please don’t jump on me about the logistics of that – although I’ve heard Reggie Benjamin can photoshop me sitting next to him)!

    I would love the chance to entice people to hear the rest of the album (all on the site for free). It traverses a variety of styles (Sufi electronica, Hindi alternative rock, bollywood, ect…), and I hope that people will discover the sincerity behind our effort.

    Unfortunately, Tata Indicom has aquired my local ISP, so I’ve been offline for several weeks. I fear that India has “brain-drained” all of its problem solving talent to a Silicon valley or to a Citibank near you.

    My only connection to the online world has been my iphone (unlocked and rocking in India!) so my site is lacking a major blog update.

    If anyone is interested in the experiment of an ABD from Chicago, who packed up his hopes and dreams to try and make it as a music producer in Big-Bad-Bombay, I’d be more than happy to correspond…

    Your friend, Deep

    From My iPhone (my goal before the year ends is to pilot a segway through lokhandwala market while talking on my iPhone and listening to the spice girls reunion album! Throw in a t-shirt that says “It’s Rockin” and then tell me it gets cooler than that!)

  43. Deep, you should have gotten that Gavankar chick to show more in the video. A google search reveals some really R rated clips of her from some movie A Cup Of my Blood.

    In some interview, she talks about being in pop rock and world urban music. I guess this would fall under world urban though it sounds more like a US/UK Pop R&B derivative.

    The rapping by that chick seems a tad off. But it is not worse than Madonna rapping about lattes.

    Deep, sorry that I do not appreciate the track. But it would be interesting to hear about your experiences in moving over to India to make music. Sounds like an interesting experience.

  45. It’s morning in Mumbai.

    In the back of my mind I’ve always feared this track would get the best of me. I think i may be better off trying to convince people it’s a really cool lounge track instead. It just might go down smoother with a martini in one hand!

    The kudiyan require more generocity than these iphone keys allow… But i assure you there is quite a story to tell, including the rise and demise of an Indian Pop Star, an cult Internet avatar and movie star, lesbians, an earthquake, reality tv, documentaries, a funkadesi, some nudity, depression, love, and so much more…

    In the meantime:

    The main thing I’ve learned about India… Which accounts for nearly everything… Is that “India is all heart”… Including all the immeasurable wonderful and absolute stupidity that comes with it.

    Someone please have a drink for me… I’m off to gujurat for a wedding.

  46. Apparently this is not a popular opinion, but I actually like this song. Yeah, it’s not super slick but the women can rap and sing pretty well and the beat is pretty infectious. Of course, since I don’t speak Punjabi, I actually liked it alot more before I knew the translation, but I still like the rhythm.

  47. you know i may not have loved the song (and sorry but i have no interest in hitting up deep for his connections to women in india…) but it was awesome to see an indo vid with three WOMEN fronting and that too with this language and message.

    as for mixing. haha. bollywood is a weird abberation of 40s and 50s styled american movies with songs and twisted love triangles, mixed with indian culture. its all a mix. the only part i really agree with is getting away from the mass produced, market flooding crap which seems to hinder creative efforts.

    here’s to hoping ya’ll improve. oh yeah and janina’s definitely hott.