Punjabi-language rapper and music producer Sidhu Moose Wala has been shot dead in India, according to officials. He was 28 years old.
Moose Wala was born in Moosa, a village in the Mansa district of Punjab, India, in 1993. In 2016 he moved to Brampton, Ontario, after receiving a degree in electrical engineering in India.
He was famous all over the world, especially in the Punjabi diaspora, for his loaded rap performances and music videos.
Police say Moose Wala had left his home around 4:30 pm local time on Sunday, driving in a jeep vehicle along with two other people.
At around 5:30 p.m., police say occupants of three vehicles, one behind Moose Wala’s vehicle and two next to it, fired at the vehicle while in the village of Jawaharke, within the Mansa district.
I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific murder of Siddhu Moosewala. No one involved will be saved. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his fans around the world. I call on everyone to stay calm.
– @BhagwantMann
Moose Wala was injured and pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, according to police, adding that the killing was likely the result of a “gang rivalry”.
The rapper, who also had an acting career, had joined the Indian National Congress party last year.
He had run in the Punjab state elections in 2022, losing to Dr. Vijay Singla of the Aam Aadmi Party, which is the ruling party in the state of Punjab and Delhi.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted his condolences to Moose Wala, with a statement from the Congress party saying his death “has been a terrible shock to the Congress party and to all the nation “.
The assassination of Shri Sidhu Moose Wala, a Punjab Congress candidate & a talented musician, has been a terrible shock to the Congress party & nationwide.
Our deepest condolences to his family, his fans and amp; friends.
We are united & without fail, in this moment of extreme pain. pic.twitter.com/v6BcLCJk4r
– @ INCIndia
Emblematic of the Punjabi diaspora
Moose Wala found great success in the Punjabi rap scene after moving to Canada. He has performed before crowds in Winnipeg and Toronto, and was also an iconic figure in Surrey, BC, home of Canada’s second largest population in South Asia.
On July 23, he was scheduled to perform at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum as part of his Back 2 Business Tour, an eight-city tour of Canada. The concert was held under the auspices of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), an annual summer fair in Vancouver.
PNE spokeswoman Laura Ballance said ticket sales for the Moose Wala concert were delayed as organizers checked security details and discussions with the musician were planned this week on security.
“It’s sad to see someone who is clearly a talented artist, no matter what people think of his music, who had a large fan base … being the victim of any kind of violence,” he said.
Moose Wala’s music touched on issues of violence, courage, and masculinity, especially with regard to Punjabi men, and the state of affairs in their home state. He was an outspoken supporter of widespread protests by farmers in India.
The rapper released a few singles in 2017 shortly after moving to Canada. Their first PBX 1 album was released in 2018, and subsequent albums reached the charts in Canada and abroad.
His music videos often garnered millions of views in a short period of time and featured sleek production and camera work. Her 2018 song, Its All About You, was the most watched YouTube video on Valentine’s Day 2018.
He later had his own record label of the same name and starred in the 2021 Punjabi film Moosa Jatt. It branched into politics before the Punjab elections in December 2021.
Moose Wala had a canceled performance in Surrey in 2019 due to security concerns from the RCMP and the city, following a previous stabbing at one of his concerts in Surrey.