Badshah has become the first Indian rapper to headline one of the world’s biggest music fests, Untold. Taking the stage at the Dubai edition of the festival, titled Untold Dubai Festival, Badshah made 75,000 music lovers groove to his hits Proper Patola, Kar Gayi Chull, Wakhra Swag, She Move It Like, Saturday Saturday, Jugnu and Kala Chashma.

In an exclusive chat, he says, “It was surreal and definitely a defining moment for me. It has set a precedent for the magical things that are yet to unfold for me this year. To see over 70,000 people singing your words back to you! There’s nothing more intoxicating than that.”

Badshah’s act preceded world-leading DJs Hardwell and Tiësto. The event also saw musicians Armin van Buuren, Ellie Goulding, PSY and Major Lazer take the stage. Badshah adds, “I thoroughly enjoyed performing alongside some major music legends and the crowd was extremely warm and reciprocal.”

The rapper paid a tribute to late musician Sidhu Moose Wala and also waved and kissed the Indian flag. He says, “Every time I set a new benchmark for myself, I feel like I’m doing it for my country and my community. I feel proud to have done this for India. Our country is making milestones in every department, so why not music?”

Badshah adds, “My dream is to show the world that India has a burgeoning hip-hop community and we are headliner material. I feel the responsibility to carry the legacy of Indian hip-hop music forward and make it relevant to a global audience. We need more Indian artistes headlining fests globally and it shouldn’t be restricted to just one genre.”