Band members include John Pandit (aka Pandit G) (turntables), Deeder Zaman (aka Master D) (vocals) and Aniruddha Das (aka Dr Das) (bass), later joined by Steve Chandra Savale (aka Chandrasonic) (guitar and adf mastermind), Sanjay Tailor (aka Sun-J) (midi, soundeffects), and Bubble-E (dancer).
Master D left the band in 2000, shortly after that the band was joined by new members:
Pritphal Rajput (aka Cyber) (dhol, tabla), Rocky Singh (drums), MC Spex (vocals), MC Lord Kimo and Akhtar Ahmed (aka Aktarv8r) (vocals), the latter recruited from the band's ongoing education project ADFED.
In 2005 with the release of 'Tank' the band was joined by Ghetto Priest. In August 2007 Asian Dub Foundation started playing with two new vocalists, Al Rumjen (previously with King Prawn) and Aktarv8r returned after MC Spex was asked to leave the band. In November and December 2007 Asian Dub Foundation recorded a new album, Punkara, that was released in spring 2008. The current line-up of the band consists of Chandrasonic, Sun-J, Al Rumjen, Cyber, Aktarv8r, Pandit G and bassist Martin Savale (C-Sonic's brother).
They describe their sound as a mix of "...hard ragga-jungle rhythms, indo-dub basslines, searing sitar- inspired guitars and 'traditional' sounds gleaned from their parents' record collections, shot through with fast-chat conscious lyrics."
Most of their lyrics are politically oriented.
Sites: YouTube.
Strong Culture
Asian Dub Foundation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To commence with the mic check
Supply rhymes, man you've never heard yet
You never thought an Asian could do this
Well you're wrong
Wrong again
Hardcore!
That's what I wanna be
Yes they'll remember me
Don't look at me as an innocent bystander
Because I'll scare you after dark
Master d adlib
Paki bashing
That's what I call fucking racism
And you can tell I'm a fucking paki lover
Day to day
Night to night
Persecution with a capital p
Racism with a capital r
Man I've seen your scar
I've seen your scar
You expect me to sympathize
The hell no!
You don't know the price that we're paying
Master d adlib
What you see is no mirage
Asian guys and girls comin' large
Straight from the east
Tough!
And coming like a beast
Guys who are very keen and showing ability
Tranquility, we have the audacity
Speaking out
'Cause there's no doubt about that
Another critical rhyme make you wanna look
Observe it
It's like a comic book
Coming from the place
With the capital b
I'll let you guess-
No let me tell you:
The b and the a and the n and the g and the l and the a
With a word called desh
Sums up the country the word and the place called bangladesh
So you never contest
Yes you thought I couldn't do it
I'm not a black man
This time it's an Asian
Some fear the white man
Some fear the ku klux klan
But they ain't up to no good
Brother brother, sister sister
Yes if your miss or if your mister
Listen to this rap
It's Asian guys coming correct
Way back in the sixties
Our fathers, our mothers
They suffered a lot for us
They couldn't say much
They couldn't do much
'Cause of the fear of getting beat up
But now it's the nineties
We're not babies no more
You know the score that we live for
Our fathers, our mothers
They brought us up to be tough
We don't stand for any bullshit
We don't give a damn
Even if you're superman
Strong culture is what you see in our eyes
Not just tough guys.
In the song "Strong Culture" by Asian Dub Foundation, the rapper starts by introducing himself and his art of supplying rhymes through the use of the mic. He then goes on to challenge stereotypes surrounding Asians being inferior in the music industry and expresses his desire to be remembered as a hardcore artist. The use of the word "wrong" emphasizes the notion that assumptions surrounding a person's talents based on their ethnicity is both incorrect and unfair.
The lyrics "Paki bashing, that's what I call fucking racism" deals with the reality of racism that Asian people have faced in the past and the present. The artist is not afraid to call it out and express his anger towards it. He acknowledges that he loves his race and will not sympathize with people who discriminate against him or his people. The lyrics in this part of the song are powerful, moving, and thought-provoking.
The rest of the song emphasizes the strength and unity of the Asian community. The rapper talks about how the Asian culture is strong, and it's not just about being tough guys. The song reminds listeners of the sufferings faced by Asian people in the past and how they are still a part of the struggle against racism. The song celebrates the strength, resilience, and unity of Asian people everywhere.
Line by Line Meaning
I grab the mic
I'm taking control of the microphone
To commence with the mic check
Starting with a sound check
Supply rhymes, man you've never heard yet
I've got some fresh rhymes for you
You never thought an Asian could do this
You underestimated my skills
Well you're wrong
I'm actually good at this
Wrong again
This is not the first time you're wrong about Asians
Hardcore!
I'm serious about this
That's what I wanna be
I want to be a hardcore artist
All over the white world
I want to spread my music to the world
Yes they'll remember me
I want to leave a lasting impression
Don't look at me as an innocent bystander
Don't underestimate me
Because I'll scare you after dark
I'm not someone to mess with
Paki bashing
Attacking Pakistanis is racism
That's what I call fucking racism
It's an unacceptable form of discrimination
And you can tell I'm a fucking paki lover
I support my fellow Pakistanis
Day to day
It happens all the time
Night to night
It even happens at night
Persecution with a capital p
It's severe persecution
Racism with a capital r
It's serious racism
Man I've seen your scar
I've seen the damage it causes
You expect me to sympathize
You want my sympathy
The hell no!
I don't sympathize with racism
You don't know the price that we're paying
You don't understand the suffering we face
What you see is no mirage
This is not an illusion
Asian guys and girls comin' large
Asians are making a big impact
Straight from the east
We're from the eastern part of the world
Tough!
We're strong and resilient
And coming like a beast
We're fierce and unstoppable
Guys who are very keen and showing ability
We're highly skilled and motivated
Tranquility, we have the audacity
We remain peaceful despite the oppression we face
Speaking out
We're raising our voices
'Cause there's no doubt about that
We're doing it with conviction
Another critical rhyme make you wanna look
I've got another impactful verse coming up
Observe it
Pay attention
It's like a comic book
It tells a story like a graphic novel
Coming from the place
I'm from a certain country
With the capital b
It starts with the letter 'B'
I'll let you guess-
I'll give you a chance to guess which country
No let me tell you:
Actually, I'll just tell you
The b and the a and the n and the g and the l and the a
It spells 'Bangla'
With a word called desh
Which means 'country'
Sums up the country the word and the place called bangladesh
It's a description of Bangladesh
So you never contest
Don't question it
Yes you thought I couldn't do it
You didn't think I was capable of representing Bangladesh
I'm not a black man
I'm not African American
This time it's an Asian
This time it's an Asian representing
Some fear the white man
Some people are afraid of Caucasians
Some fear the ku klux klan
Some people are afraid of the KKK
But they ain't up to no good
They have malicious intentions
Brother brother, sister sister
We're all in this together
Yes if your miss or if your mister
It doesn't matter if you're male or female
Listen to this rap
Pay attention to this song
It's Asian guys coming correct
We're representing Asians accurately
Way back in the sixties
In the 1960s
Our fathers, our mothers
Our parents
They suffered a lot for us
They faced hardships so we could have a better life
They couldn't say much
They were not allowed to speak up
They couldn't do much
They had limitations in their actions
'Cause of the fear of getting beat up
Because of the threat of violence
But now it's the nineties
Now it's the 1990s
We're not babies no more
We're no longer children
You know the score that we live for
You know what we're fighting for
They brought us up to be tough
They raised us to be strong
We don't stand for any bullshit
We don't tolerate any nonsense
We don't give a damn
We don't care
Even if you're superman
Even if you're the strongest person
Strong culture is what you see in our eyes
Our strong cultural heritage is reflected in our eyes
Not just tough guys.
We're not just physically strong, but culturally rich
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANIRUDDHA DAS, SAIDULLAH ZAMAN, STEVE CHANDRA SAVALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danallin4907
The only comments on this video come from either under 3 hours ago or over 4 years ago
@laurentderrien
it was used as soundtrack for a video game trailer at Los Angeles E3 2017, probably the reason people rediscovered this track
@thomasgomez6218
Try one year later
@Umbra2310
No
@moohsenbrody2443
3 years ago 🤯😂
@askthelord7675
@@moohsenbrody2443 Less goo
@alexceccolini4814
Ｉ ｇｏｔ ａ ｈｏｔ ｄａｔｅ ｗｈｏ ｄｏｎ＇ｔ ｄｏ ｌａｔｅ
@KevinBufkin-lj7bp
Anyone listening in 2024?
@colinloves
I remember them from one of their first gigs. At a benefit gig in East London. After a few tunes, this little 14 year old kid, comes on the stage. The tempo goes up and he opens his mouth and BOOM!! Im totally blown away by him. The speed, the style changes... HIS A KID!. After 2 tunes, he went and I spend the rest of the set, pining for his return
Chatting to a band member after, Im like, dude, you gotta get that kid rapping on more of ya tracks!
Underground music, is where its all at <3
@colinloves
in fact I read that was their first benefit gig :)