Punjabi Australian hip hop artist tackles race in his rhymes

Sukhdeep Singh, also known as L-Fresh the Lion, uses his lyrics to tackle some big issues.

Race discrimination, politics, religion, philosophy and social justice issues are just some of the themes that Singh tackles in his music.

Growing up in western Sydney as a Punjabi, Singh says he experienced racism first-hand and says he's been abused because people wrongly associate the turban he wears with terrorism.

"It can be such a sense of frustration. And its really difficult to explain that to someone who hasn't lived it for the majority of their life," he says.

"Particularly after 9/11, There was definitely a lot of misunderstanding and ignorance towards anyone who looked remotely like the people who were, you know, being blamed for that."

After completing a law degree in Sydney, he decided to focus his energy on advocacy through his music and his work.

Singh works for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne, has mentored young indigenous artists through the Songlines Aboriginal music project and is an ambassador for the anti-racism group, All Together Now.

He says hip hop can be used to tell stories that otherwise may never be heard.

"We're definitely at a point of time in our current climate in Australia where I feel like we need to be hearing stories, definitely hearing stories from more people from diverse backgrounds," he says.

"People who are facing persecution, struggle, hardship, because we often hear one side of the story and not the other. You know, the story of the asylum seeker. The story of the woman wearing the burqua."

And while not everyone is a fan of hip hop, Singh says the themes are universal.

"Hip hop in this country has copped a bad rap and will probably continue to do so because it's raw, you know. We're not shy, to say what we want to say."

 


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