The Butter Chicken Podcast

@ButterChickenPodcast x @HafandHaf live and direct from @TheGullyNYC in partnership with @BrownGirlMag

We start this new season of the @butterchickenpodcast off with a bang. Maria Qamar, illustriously known as @hatecopy, joins the #butterchickenboys @DJSharad and @DJJuicy for an incredible conversation at her solo NYC exhibit, FRAAAANDSHIP. They talk about the process of becoming an artist from within a desi family, the cyclical and long term effects of forming online and physical communities, and the paramount importance of promoting women’s education. Maria was born in Pakistan to parents...

On this very special episode, the #ButterChickenBoys facilitate an illuminating panel at @LincolnCenter called desi:NOW- Then, Now and Future, hosted by the @desinowshow. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy sit down with founder and executive director of the Indo-American Arts Council Aroon Shivdasani @aroonshivdasani , artist and rapper, and curator at @Spotify Himanshu “Heems” Suri @nehrujackets , CEO and founder of Mela Arts Connect Heena Patel @heenatabla , and founder of Product of Culture Archana...

This week, the #ButterChickenBoys dive right in with singer and second #EastLondoner, Nish. @Musicbynish tells @DJSharad and @DJJuicy how he started singing at the age of 5 at the encouragement of his mother, and how he was first into live music - both Bangla and English. We hear about his major influences like @RyanLeslie and @champagnepapi, both of whom have mastered the art of rapping and singing together. Nish educates us on the intricacies of the #Bengali language when writing lyrics to...

This week, the #ButterChickenBoys sit down with trailblazer and trendsetter in the #urbandesi scene - Mumzy Stranger. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy learn about @mumzystranger’s heritage. Born and bred in East London to Bangladeshi parents, Mumzy mostly credits his siblings for paving his way into music. We hear the beautiful story behind his name, and also the artists who inspired his illustrious career - from @supercat_dondada and @bujuofficial, to @usher, @boyziimen, and @theofficial112. Mumzy’s...

This week, the #butterchickenboys sit down with a forceful Los Angeles team - singer and musician extraordinaire The Musical Doc, and producer, DJ, and engineer Peter Madana. We begin with @themusicaldoc telling @DJSharad and @DJJuicy about her music filled upbringing. Her parents are both classically trained Karnatic musicians, and her father is an #ethnomusicology PhD. The Doc sang in her gospel church choir growing up, and identified with music even before identifying with her own name....

This week, the #ButterChickenBoys chop it up and laugh it out with their first Australian guest, Pav Dharia. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy learn about @pavdharia and his move from Punjab to Australia at an early age. Pav discusses the life changes, both good and bad, that came with migration, and how starting anew in a different land molded him into an independent artist who has been involved in all aspects of the creative process. We learn that Pav surprisingly was trained as a pilot, and started...

This week, the #ButterChickenBoys talk with the illustrious identical twin RnB duo The Mxxnlight - Luv and Kush Chandani. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy talk to @inthemxxnlight about their educational backgrounds in industrial engineering from RPI, and their musical backgrounds and love for @Sade and everything #Bollywood. The twins speak of their own trials and tribulations of the business side of things - from publishing deals and distribution, to monetization and paperwork. They are backed by...

In this week’s savory episode, the #butterchickenboys @DJSharad and @DJJuicy chop it up with RnB singer Robin Dey. Repping Southside Jamaica, Queens, @_robindey discusses his musical lineage replete with Hindustani classical musicians, teachers, and his legendary mentor and #GaanDadu Manna Dey. From Jagjit Singh and Ghulam Ali to @therealtank, Brian McKnight, and @chrisbrownofficial, Robin’s inspiration is vast. He illuminates us on his creative process and the transitions that took place in...

This week, the #butterchickenboys sit down with their youngest guest ever. At the mere age of 19, UK-born @ezuworld spits knowledge about his already remarkable career. Ezu speaks to @DJSharad and @DJJuicy about repping #SouthLondon and the priceless training and experience he gained at his college, East London Music and Arts. He poignantly lays out a 360 understanding of how the music business works, and how expecting overnight success is one of the worst mistakes one can make. From blind...

This week, the #butterchickenboys continue their Tamil tour with their Chennai-born brother Sid Sriram. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy learn about @sidsriram and his illustrious career - from growing up in a family of classically trained Karnatic musicians and his education at #Berkeley College of Music, to working closely with @arrahman and navigating his own path through multiple aspects of his identity. We learn about delectable Tamil cuisine (#SweetAndSpicy), the importance of holding on to your...

In this sizzling episode, the #butterchickenboys sit down with their Brooklyn-born, Sri Lankan-Tamil sister, @rolexrasathy. @DJSharad, @DJJuicy, and #RolexRasathy (which, as we learn through the episode originated from her dad’s endearing texts calling her his rasathy, or queen) discuss different forms of adhering to culture in the diaspora. They speak of Rolex’s background in #Jazz and #Karnatic classical, deep love for dancehall and @champagnepapi, and her own trials and tribulations of...

This week the #butterchickenboys sit down with rapper, Taizu. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy begin the episode by discussing the importance of #humility, and @taizuhowyou illuminates their conversation with his own life philosophies and deep thoughts about the #braggadocious nature of hip hop culture, and #doubt being an important element of faith. We speak in depth about Taizu’s upcoming album #ZU, which features no collabs and is straight fire. There’s not much we can say about this spicy episode...

The wait is over! We begin our buttery and well-marinated Season 3 with the talented musician PropheC. The #butterchickenboys @djjuicy and @djsharad sit down with Calgary native @prophecproductions and talk all things music - from the art of it, to the business side, and everything in between. PropheC began his vocal lessons at the age of 5. He started in the world of Desi music, and then delved into underground hiphop in his teenage years. His first album #Forever was released in 2011, when...

On this week’s particularly rich episode of the @butterchickenpodcast, the #butterchickenboys have an amazing conversation with one of the OGs in the urban desi scene, Raghav. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy sit down with @raghavworldwide and discuss the beginnings his illustrious career - from his first singing show at age 4 and the musically diverse hallways of his home in Calgary, Canada, to his time at the Paul McCartney School of Music in the United Kingdom where he felt he was finally able to...

This week on the @butterchickenpodcast, the #butterchickenboys sit down with artist, rapper, and poet Jasleen Powar - who goes by the name @horsepowar. A native of Vancouver, Jasleen talks about her upbringing in a large family and the diverse music that accompanied it. From listening to @BlackSabbath and @alicecooper to Hindi #bollywood tracks to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony @btnhlive, Jasleen’s musical canvas is vast. We speak about the heartbreak in her life that has brought her full circle in...

In this week's episode, the #ButterChickenBoys sit down with prominent news journalist Reena Ninan. @DJSharad and @DJJuicy learn about @reenaninan 's upbringing in Tampa, Florida and her parent's progressive outlook on life that supported her unique ambition to become a news reporter. They discuss growing up #Malayali, the exposure that the college experience brings with it, and the trials of exploring an identity different than your parents'. Reena brings us on the journey of how she got to...

On this week’s episode, the #butterchickenboys decide to put together a live buttery experience with their friends and family, to get the story of Grammy nominated artist and cultural icon @therajakumari. In fact, @djsharad and @djjuicy bring the Queen to Queens, New York (their hometown). In this saucy episode Raja Kumari talks about her early days, training in Indian classical dance and what impacted the start of her musical career. Exploring all genres of music, to taking a chance and...

In this week’s episode of the #ButterChickenPodcast, @DJSharad and @DJJuicy sit down with artist @rajaforlifee. Raja and the #butterchickenboys talk about the hustle of surviving in the music industry, and the particular struggles Raja has had along the road. From devastating losses to overcoming substance addiction, Raja has come out the other end shining. He has worked with names such as @myfabolouslife and @torylanez and had gotten upwards of one million plays on @Spotify. We are huge...

On this week’s episode of the @ButterChickenPodcast, @DJSharad and @DJJuicy sit down with OGs in the footwear space, brothers Nick and Ankur Amin of @ExtraButter. They chop it up about life as Gujarati immigrants in Queens in the early 1980s, and the virtuosic level of entrepreneurship and family bonding that brought the Amin brothers to where they are now. Nick and Ankur bring us through the process of Extra Butter’s first collaboration with @Reebok and emphasize their values of team...