An Australian hip-hop artist is challenging perceptions in a unique way.
Sukhdeep Singh is the ambassador for an anti-racism campaign, and he is using music to spread the message.
Touted as a rising star in the Australian hip-hop world, Sukhdeep Singh -- also known as "L-FRESH the Lion" -- uses his lyrics to tackle big issues.
He raps about racism, politics, religion and philosophy.
Born in western Sydney, with a Punjabi Sikh background, he says he experienced racism first-hand.
Like other members of Australia's Sikh community, he says he has been abused because people wrongly associate the turban he wears with terrorism.
"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 9/11. And in recent times, when it's come up again in the media, particularly with the hatred and ignorance being spewed at the Muslim community, the backlash of that is, again, anyone who remotely looks like a Muslim, whether they are or not, is going to get targeted."
After completing a law degree in Sydney, Sukhdeep Singh decided to focus his energy on advocacy -- through his music and his work.
He has mentored young Indigenous artists through the Songlines Aboriginal music project.
He works for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne.
And he is the ambassador for the non-profit group Altogether Now, which works to tackle what it calls "everyday racism."
He draws his inspiration not just from other hip-hop artists, but from musicians from other genres.
"Lauren Hill, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan. Particularly Bob Dylan when it comes to songwriting. I remember being introduced to his music and just being blown away by the way he told stories. And then the feel of Bob Marley in his expression. And then Lauren Hill, just a master of so many different styles, plus her stories, again her emotion. Those three, for me, are just ... when it comes to music, those three are just amazing storytellers."
Sukhdeep Singh says hip-hop can also be used to tell stories that otherwise might 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 from ... definitely more stories from people of diverse backgrounds. Definitely, we need to hear more stories from 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 burqa."
And while not everyone is a fan of hip-hop, he says people from all walks of life should be open to listening to it.
"Hip-hop in this country has copped a bad rap, and continues to do so, and probably will continue to do so because it's raw. You know, we're not shy to say what we want to say."
For Sukhdeep Singh, that means making a difference through words -- and action.
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