Dr Zeus

Dr Zeus is the pioneering Indian-origin British artist who crafted Punjabi hip-hop and modern bhangra when it was far from the global force it’s since become. Born in Birmingham in the UK, the young Baljit Singh Padam started out as a DJ and took on the moniker Dr Zeus based on a childhood nickname. Growing up on bhangra, hip-hop and its crossovers in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Dr Zeus borrowed money from his father in 1996 to invest in a home setup to learn production. After getting a job at a local studio, he picked up production credits for songs by British Punjabi artist Balwinder Singh Safri. Dr Zeus then followed his own creative path, releasing debut album Death Jamm 4.5 in 1999, following it up with High Life in 2001 and Unda Da Influence in 2003. The latter spawned his breakthrough song “Kangna”, an unmistakable, swerving blend of garage, hip-hop and Punjabi folk. Honing his sound while continually evolving, Dr Zeus became a mainstay in the desi music scenes in both the UK and India, notably working with Amrinder Gill on songs like “Mera Deewanapan” from the album Judaa 2 in 2014. While he’s worked on several Bollywood and Punjabi film songs, Dr Zeus has preferred to explore his own sound—teaming up with Snoop Dogg on “Woofer” on the 2018 album Global Injection.