Famous Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala shot dead in India

Punjabi-speaking rapper and music producer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in India, according to officials. He was 28 years old.

Moose Wala was born in 1993 in Moosa, a village in Mansa district of Punjab, India. After graduating in electrical engineering from India in 2016, he moved to Brampton, Ontario.

He was famous worldwide, especially in the Punjabi diaspora, for his energetic rap performances and slick music videos.

According to police, Moose Wala left his house in a jeep along with two other people at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

At around 5:30 p.m., police said that the occupants of three vehicles – one behind Moose Wala’s vehicle and two beside it – opened fire at the vehicle while they were in Jawaharke village in Mansa district.

Moose Wala suffered injuries and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, police said, adding the killing was likely the result of “rivalry within the gang.”

The rapper, who also pursued an acting career, joined the Indian National Congress party last year.

He had contested the 2022 Punjab state elections and lost to Dr. Vijay Singla of the Aam Aadmi Party, which governs the state of Punjab and Delhi.

Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of the State of Punjab tweeted his condolences to Moose Wala, with a Congress Party statement saying his death had come as “a terrible shock to the Congress Party and the entire nation”.

An icon in the Punjabi diaspora

Moose Wala found great success in the Punjabi-language rap scene after moving to Canada, performing to sold-out crowds in Winnipeg and Toronto and also becoming a cult figure in Surrey, BC, home to Canada’s second-largest South Asian population.

On Sunday, several hundred people gathered in Surrey for a vigil following the star’s death.

“We are here and pray together for his soul,” said Ishbret Singh, who organized the vigil. “May he rest in peace.”

Singh said Moose Wala was an important figure in the community whose life came to an unjust and violent end.

“He was a very popular star, a very gentle star,” Singh said. “He was at the peak of his career now and … he’s gone, it’s a very heartbreaking thing.”

Moose Wala was scheduled to play at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on July 23. This was part of his Back 2 Business Tour, an eight-city tour in Canada. The concert was part of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), an annual summer festival in Vancouver.

Laura Ballance, a spokeswoman for the PNE, said ticket sales for Moose Wala’s concert had been delayed as organizers reviewed security details. Discussions with the musician regarding security were scheduled to take place this week.

“It’s sad to see someone who is clearly a talented artist – regardless of what people think of his music – who had a huge fan base … become a victim of any kind of violence,” she said.

Moose Wala’s music touched on themes of violence, bravery and machismo, particularly in relation to Punjabi men, and the situation in his home state. He was an outspoken supporter of the widespread protests of farmers in India.

The rapper released a few singles in 2017 shortly after moving to Canada. His first album Telephone system 1 was released in 2018 and subsequent albums charted in Canada and abroad.

His music videos often garnered millions of views within a short period of time and were characterized by sophisticated production and camera work. His 2018 song, It’s all about you, was that most viewed YouTube video for Valentine’s Day 2018.

He then founded his own eponymous record label and played the lead role in the 2021 Punjabi film Moosa, Jat. He entered politics ahead of the Punjab elections in December 2021.

A 2019 performance by Moose Wala in Surrey was cancelled due to safety concerns from the RCMP and the city following a stabbing at one of his concerts in Surrey.