I don’t know the last thing about football (at least NFL, I bleed Trojan’s Cardinal and Gold). So it’s no surprise that I just realized the Super Bowl is today. Who am I going to root for? I don’t really know. But after watching the following video, I’m kind of leaning towards the Black Gold and Silver…

Cute, no? Who is this Black Mahal that is the mastermind behind this bhangra-fied sports anthem?

Part P-Funk, part Punjabi-Funk, BlackMahal is a San Francisco-based live music experience complete with drums, DJs, horns, hip-hop MCs, and the godfather of Punjabi-American music – Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti. BlackMahal is steeped in Old California, a Punjabi-American experience that started in the 1890s when the first Punjabi-Americans settled in the Great West and forged a new identity combining elements of Mexican and African-American influence. [blackmahal]

And the turbaned man in the video is none other than Ustad Lal Singh Batti.

Over the past 43 years, Bhatti has performed for nearly every U.S. President since Gerald Ford as well has being honored at the opening of the Smithsonian Sikh Gallery in 2005. After picking up the dhol drum instrument as a teenager, he quickly won the hearts of India by the way he played and was invited by the Government of India to serve as cultural music liaison to the country via worldwide music tours to 25 countries.[blackmahal]

Who am I kidding. I’m rooting for the socialist community owned Green Bay Packers all the way. Go team! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!