Ali Sahir delivers bars touching on how colonialism has affected Desi people. An extra spicy banger and a perfect metaphor. Read our discussion with the artist below! Bon appetite!
Describe your sound in three words
Eclectic, Expansive, and Spiritual
Chicken Curry is a metaphor and statement on how colonialism has affected Desi people to this day. Tell us a few things about it and the main idea behind the song.
I feel like the affects of colonialism on my people has not been told thouroughly. I say at the end of the second verse that they overcooked the chicken then they threw it out to rot. It’s a metaphor for how our sense of unity was decomposed. They overcooked us during the British takeover then split us up into 2 seperate nations, Pakistan and India. Rather than letting every indgrediant blend with each other they seperated all of us from each other.
How Important are political statements by music artists? Can music have an impact on politics?
I wouldn’t call these statements political anymore. Politics in my opinion does nothing but divide us. I consider these statements revolutionary statements. Rage Against The Machine, NWA, and Public Enemy most likely don’t or didn’t support a political party but they rather support the uplifting of the common people. This type of music is supposed to show people that they have a voice as well and with that purpose I feel can have a huge impact on society.
Why does hip hop today have so many negative stereotypes? For example why hiphop puts women in a position of submission?
It’s not just Hip Hop. It’s the entertainment industry. Hip Hop didn’t start off this way until the executives got involved. Also, lets be real. All those rockstars in the 80s were probably doing way more heinous acts than the ones that rappers simply just rap about. They were just able to get away with it because of the time period. Honestly misgony itself is played out, disgusting, and out of style and you should go back to the 1950’s if you disagree.
Do you think there is a true underground hip hop sound today?
The real underground sound is here in Atlanta but you gotta look deep in the catacombs to find it at the moment. I moved here in June of this year and have discovered the most diverese underground scene that anyone has ever heard before. The scene has really traded the usual trap rythms of the city for more Flying Lotus/J Dilla style production with meaningful lyricism. It’s futuristic sound to me symbolizes how the scene is truly the future of the city and music itself. No one else is making this kind of experimental music. We’re what LA was in 2010 and we’re growing everyday.
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
Hip Hop is freedom to me. Hip Hop helped me free my mind and become a more progressive thinker. It helped me become a better speaker. It freed me from all of my self doubt and served
as therapy and solace to me when my own family did not. It’s the reason I took a bold decision to leave school in Massachusetts and drive all the way to Atlanta to pursue my music career. This genre has pushed my life in a forward direction ever since I started rapping when I was 11. This music has helped me free myself from the machine that makes our lives miserable and now I’m choosing to show people a happier way of living through my music.
Favorite album of the past decade?
That’s a hard one. I literally grew up in the last decade and there was soooooo much good music and my favorite one always changes. I consider the 2010s a new golden age in Hip Hop as well.
I’d probably have to go with Good Kid m.A.A.d City by Kendrick Lamar. He ran this decade like no other artist has.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
“The blunted second coming with the gorgeous hair. I look like Jesus did before they told us he was fair.”
Favorite dish?
Ironically it’s not chicken curry. I mean I love chicken curry but honestly my favorite dish is another Desi dish called Biryani. It’s similar to chicken curry but less saucy. All the flavor and spices are mostly seasoned into the rice and there’s chicken and potatoes mixed in. Highly reccomend!
Thank you!
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