It doesn’t hurt that Bhatti’s voice sounds fantastic soaring over a beat. And it doesn’t seem out of place in a band that draws on the eclecticism of Parliament-Funkadelic, and writes loopy songs about mustaches and mangos. There’s a method to their sonic madness, though, and part of it lies in how songs like “Savor The Flavor” and “Mangos” are relatable to both Punjabi and American culture—even in their ridiculousness, charting a certain intersection of the Punjabi-American experience.
“We try to find things that have double meanings in both cultures,” Chattha says, “themes that work for both.”
The song “Mangos,” he says, originally began with the idea of using the motion of pulling fruit as a way to explain to non-Punjabs how to do bhangra dances. It got sillier from there. This is not a group that concerns itself with coming off stony and hard like a lot of post-gangsta hip-hop crews.
“It’s hard to be hard,” admits Chattha. “It wouldn’t be us. We’re way more playful and lighthearted. We’re having too much fun.”
As for his own rap style, he says he feels like he’s drawn from “all of those great MCs from the ‘’80s and ’90s.” There’s a lot of Chuck D in his delivery, but he admits his heart belongs to Flava Flav.
Either way, he says, “When you play with Ustad, you have to bring the noise.”
BlackMahal performs at San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose Saturday at 8pm. For ticket information, go here.
Summer Fest Preview: BlackMahal
