Sidhu Moosewala and Tupac Shakur - divided by geography, united in fate

Late rapper-musician Shubhdeep Singh aka Sidhu Moosewala had his life tragically cut short in 2022. The popular rapper was shot dead on May 29 in the Mansa district of Punjab. Moosewala's music was a mirror to the life he had left behind, but just as reflective of his formative years - guns, gangs and drugs set in the backdrop of a poverty stricken life in Punjab. A life that he aspired to move beyond, and managed to as well, in a very short span of time - before his untimely death halted his ascending career. 

Moosewala's career began in 2017 when he released his debut track G Wagon. At the time, he was in Canada on a student visa. A year later, So High catapulted him to popularity, both in India and abroad. In Punjab, the track would blare from cars that cruised the streets, and just like that, India's very own new rapstar was born. Moosewala, despite living away from India, was writing lyrics about his motherland and the issues that plagued her. It seemed as though in his fight to leave this turbulent life behind, he wanted to take the youth along - the ones who were getting sucked into it from an impressionable age.

Moosewala refers to Tupac Shakur as his idol 

Moosewala had once referred to the late Tupac Shakur as his idol. In 2019, he released a single called Homicide with the lyrics, “Sidhu Moose Wala sunn Naam Jatt da, Tupac naal mildi e rashi mitheya,” which roughly translates to "Sidhu Moosewala is the man's name, and my stars align with Tupac". And the stars did align, most tragically so.

Tupac's death and his musical influences

Tupac died aged 25, in 1996, when his vehicle was ambushed at a red light signal in Nevada, Las Vegas. The rapper was shot four times and later succumbed to his wounds. Tupac's musical career was short-lived, but nevertheless influential. Through his songs, he raised issues of drug abuse, social inequality and violence. It was a reflection of his life and lineage, the Black Panther movement his parents were associated with, and the politically active environment that he grew up in.

Rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1996 (Image: AP)

Moosewala's music and controversies

Moosewala's songs resonated with Punjabis as it touched upon issues of poverty and drug abuse in the state. Though these issues have been discussed for long in the political arena, the effectiveness of action that was taken, is debatable. His tracks also unabashedly referred to guns and violence, for which he remained clouded in controversy, with many of his videos replete with such visuals. 

Many promotional photos of the rapper had him holding guns, his lyrics espousing gangster culture. Moosewala also saw himself on the wrong side of the law over such tracks and his lifestyle. In May 2020, Moosewala was booked, after a video of him shooting an AK-47 at a firing range reportedly surfaced, on social media. In July, Punjab police filed another case against him for promoting violence and gun culture through his song Sanju. Even a year after his death, the rapper continues to dominate the music scene and public discussion, but never has his name been free of the tint of controversy. 

 Moosewala and Tupac's killing: An eerie connection

Moosewala's death had an eerie connection with his idol Tupac. Both rappers were at the heights of their popularity when they were killed, just five years into their careers. One of Moosewala's last tracks, Last Ride, featured a BMW artwork, the car Tupac was infamously shot inside. Moosewala saw a similar fate when he was gunned down in Punjab. A life of music inspired by his idol Tupac, ended in a similar manner - too young, too soon.