Fun-Da-Mental
| Fun-Da-Mental | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Hip hop, ethno-techno, world fusion |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Labels |
Mammoth Records Nation Records Beggars Banquet Records Five Uncivilised Tribes |
| Associated acts |
Southern Death Cult Transglobal Underground Detrimental (Lallaman & Goldfinger) |
| Members |
Aki "Propa-Gandhi" Nawaz Dave "Impi-D" Watts MC Mushtaq Hot Dog Dennis Nick "Count Dubulah" Page Amir Ali Shamil Khan Nadim Shafi (a.k.a. "Made in Britain") Lloyd Sparkes |
| Past members | DJ Obeah Inder "Goldfinger" Mantharoo Bad-Sha Lallaman |
Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's political stance has led to the group earning the label "the Asian Public Enemy". The group's work has led to international attention and collaborations with artists from Pakistan, South Africa and Siberia.
The core member of the group is Aki "Propa-Gandhi" Nawaz (real name Haq Qureshi).
By 1991, Qureshi had become more interested in the artistic and political possibilities of hip hop, although he initially believed that hip hop's politics were "much more sorted" than was its music.
The band was formed in the wake of the 1990s British Asian merging of hip hop and bhangra music, during which time various "conscious rapper" groups began to emerge. Common themes expressed in this style of hip hop were very politically based within the sense of race and the Asian identity. "Identity politics is reactionary in fostering as apolitical, a materialist and subjectivist point of view, and that it produces a personalized politics that is inward-looking."
This lineup of Fun-Da-Mental played the Notting Hill Carnival in August 1991 and continued to record and play concerts over the next two years. From 1992 onwards, Fun-Da-Mental began to release singles, beginning with "Janaam" and following up with "Gandhi's Revenge". 1993's "Wrath of the Blackman" (created around a sample taken from a Malcolm X speech) further established the group's assertive anti-racist sentiments.
In 1993, tensions within Fun-Da-Mental came to a head.
According to Aki, the other factor was business-related. Nawaz has admitted that he had been too immersed in the group's creative and promotional work that he had not paid attention to the group's sales figures, meaning that he had neither noticed nor revealed to other group members Lallaman and Mantharoo, conversely, had believed that Fun-Da-Mental's press profile had translated into significant sales and were appalled to find out that the group was not making money. Lallaman and Goldfinger subsequently formed Detrimental which built on Fun-Da-Mental's approach. Despite releasing the Xenophobia album in 1996, Detrimental ultimately failed to last as long as its parent group.
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