Punjabi rapper-producer Lazer X aka Piyush Trehan. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
This is the rare and exceptional story of Lazer X (aka Piyush Trehan), a rapper-producer based in the obscure town of Phagwara, Punjab. Gathering his thoughts and reflecting on the nature of his journey from his bedroom production set-up to Hollywood, he says “I want to drop an album in the future titled Mohalle se Mahalon Tak…I’ve left the mohalla for now, but I haven’t reached the mahal just yet.” For Lazer X, music has always been about the journey itself; and while a song placement sync deal in Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man is a monumental achievement, the rapper has his eyes set on a higher standard for his work.
Monkey Man, produced by American horror auteur Jordan Peele, stars Dev Patel as the vengeful protagonist reminiscent of the character and chaos of John Wick. Set against the backdrop of an exploitative Indian city, the outlaw finds himself navigating the reality of oppression, violence and trauma with the reassurance of his late mother’s tales rooted in Hindu mythology. The film is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the audience on edge, often so by making excellent use of hip-hop music across montages.
From JID’s “Rum 151” to Jay-Z and Panjabi MC’s “Mundiyan To Bach Ke,” the film boasts a roster of rap music that makes clever use of Indian instrumentation as its foundation. In the star-studded company of these known and revered classics, comes the abrasive and unapologetic “Naam Mera” — with Lazer X’s gritty vocals imploring the audience to go around and ‘ask for his name.’
Perhaps this segue is only fitting here, for after all, who is Lazer X? How was he able to find a spot on the official soundtrack? The answer, interestingly, goes all the way back to an Instagram Live session hosted by singer-composer Nakash Aziz and composer-producer Sneha Khanwalkar — with the latter being responsible for producing the movie version of the track.
According to Lazer X, the story unfolds with him finding out about Khanwalkar’s company SoundCake, which was hosting a music remix challenge for musicians across India. In keeping with the requirements of the challenge, Lazer X was able to resample some Nakash Aziz vocals over a freshly produced instrumental that he passionately spammed their emails with. To Lazer X’s surprise, Aziz played and appreciated the track on his livestream, catching Khanwalkar’s attention as well, who entered the frame with a compliment and an offer to work on future projects.
Lazer X followed up on the opportunity and was able to start bagging commercial projects with the likes of entertainer Bhuvan Bam, and Punjabi star Guru Randhawa (“Darr Nu Daraa”). Over the course of many projects and finding synergy of work with Khanwalkar, the rapper began sending demos that he believed could fit a cinematic piece well. Out of these was a draft titled “Simpson,” where Lazer X rapped about his anti-social tendencies and his inability to interact socially, while proudly reclaiming “work that speaks for itself.” Originally recorded over experimental drum and bass beats, the idea quickly evolved into the hook, “Jaake pooch le tu naam mera, bolta mai kam hi, zyada bolta hai kaam mera,” speaking to the anonymity of people that work relentlessly, tirelessly and without fame.
The hook stuck; with Khanwalkar overseeing creative direction and production for the final track, and Jayant Patnaik on rhythm sections with the dhol, the track quickly evolved into a relatable song, soundtracking the story of an underdog. Soon enough, the track was picked up as part of a sync-licensing deal that involved Lazer X selling the rights to his lyrics and vocals for film usage, and the rest is history. “Mahal ban jayega iss saal, (The palace will be made this year)” he says, referring to how he believes the promised palatial abode of success to be right around the corner this year. With more film projects with top stars under wraps for the upcoming months, Lazer X is well on his way to making the leap of a lifetime — from a mohalla, to the mythical mahal.
