Panjabi MC

Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC performing at London Mela in August 2010
Background information
Birth name	Rajinder Singh Rai
Born	(1973-02-14) 14 February 1973 (age 44) Coventry, England, UK
Genres	Electronica, bhangra, alternative hip hop, turntablism, trip hop, Asian underground
Occupation(s)	Musician
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Superstar Recordings (Germany) Urban Records PMC Records (UK) Universal (India) Ultra Music
Associated acts	Jay-Z, Twista, Snap!, Labh Janjua
Website	pmcrecords.com

Rajinder Singh Rai (Punjabi: ਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ; born 1973), better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British musician of Punjabi descent. He is best known for the worldwide bhangra hit, "Mundian To Bach Ke" of 2002, although it originated from 1998, and "Jogi", of 2003. Allmusic has called him "one of the most prominent names in bhangra".

Rajinder Singh adopted his stage name from the Punjabi language he used in the music he plays and rapping. "One of [his] main goals is to fuse the two worlds [of Bhangra and hip-hop]."

Nachural Records signed Panjabi MC following a remix of Kuldeep Manak's "Ghariah Milan De". Although the single was taken off the market, Panjabi MC continued making records. Another successful release was "Mundian To Bach Ke" ("Beware of the Boys") (1998; it first appeared on the album Legalised) which mixed the theme of the TV series Knight Rider with Bhangra. An underground hit on the internet, it was picked up by the German record label Superstar Recordings, and became a hit record in Germany and across Europe, including the UK. A version of this recording in 2003 featured American rapper Jay-Z named "Beware of the Boys".

His work, particularly the early singles and the "Mundian To Bach Ke" remix with Jay-Z, brought bhangra to a global audience via the BBC. He continues to produce music and is ever popular as a collaborator and remixer. In 2004 he made music called "Mirza" and mixed this song with Turkish singer Mustafa Sandal's "Isyankar", but they did not release the mixed version.