Rapper Moosewala killing tragic loss for Punjabi diaspora, say media reports

Chandigarh, May 30 The killing of Punjabi rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, widely known by his stage name Sidhu Moosewala with a huge fan base running into millions, especially among the Punjabi diaspora in countries including the UK and Canada, is a tragic loss for the Punjab community, say media reports in Canada.

A report by CTV News Channel says the 28-year-old attended Humber College as an international student and recorded many of his music videos in Toronto.

The channel quoting community activist and Punjabi voice for the Toronto Raptors, Parminder Singh, said Sidhu's death is a tragic loss for the Punjab community.

"It's truly shocking and I feel the entire community has that feeling and we all have that sense of shock when we heard about this news early this morning," he told CP24.

Drake paid tribute to Sidhu, posting to his Instagram story a photo of the singer with a caption "RIP MOOSE".

Canadian comedian Lilly Singh also remembered Sidhu in an Instagram post, calling him a "young legend".

"If you see tribute images of him today, please don't keep scrolling, but rather take a moment to stream the music of Sidhu Moosewala. It has often been featured in my content and has always resulted in people asking me, 'what song is that?!" Singh wrote.

In less than 24 hours after his security was curtailed by the government, singer-turned-actor-politician Moosewala was shot dead by gangsters close to his ancestral village in Mansa in Punjab in broad daylight on Sunday, police said.

He was at the wheel of a Mahindra Thar SUV when the assailants, believed to be 10-12 in number, fired more than 20 rounds at point blank range at the singer and his two friends, who sustained grievous injuries. Moosewala was hit by seven-eight bullets.

It is learnt that an AK-47 assault rifle was also used in the crime as its shells were recovered from the crime scene.

Moosewala was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. The civil surgeon at Mansa hospital said Moosewala was brought dead, while the two others were referred to another hospital for treatment.

According to Globalnews.ca, Sidhu had been scheduled to perform at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver in July as a part of his Back 2 Business Tour, one of four Canadian dates.

However ticket sales for the Vancouver date were paused last week amid security concerns.

Violence had previously broken out at some of his Canadian performances, including a stabbing at a Surrey event and gunfire at a Calgary concert, both in 2019, says Globalnews.ca.

That same year, Sidhu Moosewala was cut from the lineup of the 5X Festival in Surrey after the RCMP cited security concerns.

Punjabi-language NBA commentator and community advocate Parminder Singh knew Moosewala from his time in Brampton, and described him as a "soft spoken" and "down to earth" person driven to succeed at school, music and political change.

While in Canada he studied at Sheridan College and Humber College.

Singh said Moosewala's unique blending of North American and Punjabi elements set him apart in the music world and helped make him an international sensation.

According to Globalnews.ca, at the time of his death the rapper had amassed more than 10.8 million YouTube subscribers, won several Brit Asia TV Music Awards, produced hits that charted in Canada, the UK and New Zealand and launched his own music label.

According to The Guardian, most of Moosewala's singles have an English title, though the songs were mainly sung in Punjabi. His glossy music videos often focused on macho culture. His debut album in 2018 made it to Canada's Billboard albums chart.

His latest track, The Last Ride, was released this month.

A report by Canada's largest online news site Toronto Star says the singer/rapper rocketed to fame in Brampton after moving from India as an international student.

"His

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