Punjabi singer and lyricist Varinder Brar’s hefty vocals and rhymes about Jatt life make him a force to be reckoned with, particularly when delivering hooks over drill- and hip-hop-inflected beats. Keen on being a bhangra performer in his college days, Brar unleashed his first major release in 2012 as producer on Yo Yo Honey Singh’s album Born This Way, which gave him a fearless, even pompous persona in the face of gangster grandstanding. On the 2019 single “Jatt Life”, along with 2021 song “12 Bande”, Brar levels up while doubling down on his roots, telling the world that he and his people can’t be messed with. Still, there’s a lighter side within that space of speaking about identity, as on “Mastani” with desi hip-hop pioneer Bohemia in 2019 and the emotional story of “Thaa” from 2023.