Tears refuse to flow, For to me, MJ, is immortal for sure, From Thriller he made my heart sing,
To his legacy, I salute the 'one' king! - BlaaZe'

Two days after hearing the sad news, i found the only way i could truly express myself was to make an original song, for him. And the song is called, 'One King.' To be performed at the MJ tribute Concert in Chennai, India, on Saturday, August 29th, Godwilling...light a candle for MJ at www.blaaze.in

MJ has been a part of my growing up from 1983 till today..in pic, young BlaaZe' at an MJ song performance in Zambia, wearing the Thriller t-shirt :)

Lets Heal The World together.... BlaaZe'

ONE KING - Michael Jackson - tribute by BlaaZe'

One

I love Michael

Two

You love Michael

Three

We love Michael

One

I love Michael

Two

You love Michael

Three

We love Michael

he was a man who was one of a kind

and he was kind, he was so kind

we never will find

another soul who could take his place

i never will forget his face

with the white socks, and di pant up high

with the stripe upon di side

with the magical diamond studded glove

with the smile of an angel from up above

he was the one who really cared,

the one who had to tolerate and put up with despair

he was always there

no matter how far he would always care

he could light up your life

no matter how dark it would be alright

he be the one that we all love

he be in heaven up above

One

I love Michael

Two

You love Michael

Three

We love Michael

One

I love Michael

Two

You love Michael

Three

We love Michael

there could only ever be one king

one king that could make the heart sing

there could only ever be one king

we could count it down like 1,2 3

take a look around tell me what would ya see

see di world turnin see di world burnin

listen up loud to his message are we learnin?

when did we stop and throw away our love

when did we stop and forget all above

One

I love Michael

Two

You love Michael

Three

We love Michael

One

I love Michael

Two

You love Michael

Three

We love Michael

he was a man who was one of a kind

and he was kind, he was so kind

we never will find

another soul who could take his place

i never will forget his face

with the white socks, and di pant up high

with the stripe upon di side

with the magical diamond studded glove

with the smile of an angel from up above

he was the one who really cared,

the one who had to tolerate and put up with despair

he was always there

no matter how far he would always care

he could light up your life

no matter how dark it would be alright

he be the one that we all love

he be in heaven up above

he was the one who really cared,

the one who had to tolerate and put up with despair

he was always there

no matter how far he would always care

he could light up your life

no matter how dark it would be alright

he be the one that we all love

he be in heaven up above

there could only ever be one king

one king that could make the heart sing

there could only ever be one king

there could only ever be one king

one king that could make the heart sing

there could only ever be one king

BlaaZe rhymes for his daughter - and his broken toe

Time is gettin harder to steal,

words are seeming lesser to heal,

life is blessed with only good health,

the rest will vanish, wither and melt,

then why must my baby girl face her fate,

at only 5 years of age, her brain ain't safe,

is it a sign that my karma rules,

are we just rationalising, like fools,

do we not stop and wonder if ever,

the best we can do is offer a prayer,

i say this, but why, i may not understand,

tuberculoma in the brain... DAMN !!

never heard it before, don't wanna hear it again,

but reality is a lesson, to share with friends,

to remain silent, i decided for a while,

for the eyez that saw, kept me lagging behind,

from my broken toe, fractured and bruised - oh still,

what more do u want to play with, my will?

thought it was lost, set to sink my ship,

then got up on stage with my pimp cane, my walking stick,

still i pretend to continue and endure,

we rocked calicut and pune is next for sure,

if its not too clear whats goin' on in my rhymes,

imagine what it is, goin on in my mind... ... ... 

... blaaze 2009

...still speechless

God is kind... WOW... what a day... what a weekend actually...

Started off on a rather strange note, very bizarre indeed. After meticulous planning we worked out the kids schedules to workout a trip to the movies, (wife n kids and a friend). Delhi 6... and the movie was with a great message, which i believed in, so it was all good. Got through the rush, carrying my son, and though was sure i heard whispers of, 'is that blaaaa...?' not once did anyone stop to speak or sign autographs or anything, which was cool, as the kids were with me and it was hopefully just a trip to the movies with family and friends... however, the next day, a newspaper carries the story of BlaaZe spotted at the cinemas, with family n friends, in his trademark yellow pants..?? with the dangling B chain..? and seemed very self conscious with a change in his attitude...? fame ke side effects..? The story was correct in only the fact that we saw the film at the theatre.. the rest is made up to fill lines...! For the record, blue shirt / black n white addidas trackpants... No B medallion ..and still appreciate a friendly word or two with fans...!!! But .. this lead me to thinking how delicate words/statements/lies can become, when actually all that matters should be the work... ... ...!! well, wanted to get that off my chest all weekend!!


And with that the calls started for the next days run..this time it was for the pre oscars / oscars live on various channels, to be featured on whilst the show was on air... i found it hard to explain, but finaly did tell the people concerned who had been calling, i wanted to watch it in private, at peace and truly pray silently for Mr. Rahman's win... and it was all i wanted to do... and am thankful i managed to do it eventually.

Mr. A R Rahman's first Oscar

It felt strange to not want to do interviews at this time, when all i really thought about was wanting to speak to Mr. Rahman and tell him how amazing he is !! Truly, what a moment for him and ... what a moment for raqueeb and myself, to be mentioned alongwith Mr. Gulzar, at the Academy's is something that is God-sent. It seems to be a moment trapped in time in my mind, and am very humbled by his mentioning my name. Wow..again... and it was even more special cause i was with my family at home, watching it and praying within for his name to be announced...and when they did... what a moment indeed... god bless. Spoke to my sister who called from NY and even my BA Cinema college professor who saw the event live in LA... and my near and dear ones...they were so happy ..thank you, brother Rahman...

Today is also Maha Siva Ratri day and will be at the temple most evening and night...

If i missed your call in all this magic... hope you understand... am still kind of speechless...

World Premiere of Inqualab - The Video

here it is... the world premiere on MTV... Republic day Special 2009 !!

Inqualab by BlaaZe, Prince Ali & Raqueeb Alam
Video directed by Sajeed, Yusuf Khan & Adhil
featuring MTV Youth Icons and MTV Vj's



Thank You for making this possible !!

Sometimes you gotta learn to love tradition!

Ama Vasya today... A day i never quite truly understood. The dark night with a full moon after 14 days, the monthly prayers offerred to our dear ones passed away, our ancestors. A remembrance of their lives, and an offerring of water to their souls..?

As a child, i often watched my dad perform this prayer every month, though i did not know then, that he was doing the 'tharpan' for his father, who had passed away at an early age. Nor did i imagine that i would be doing the same tharpan prayers for my late father, ever since 2003.

At that same span of three months, in 2003, my grandfather(mother's dad), and my grandmother(father's mum) also passed away...sending me to a crazy time of questioning, 'purpose' !! ..trying to learn and understand the rituals.. i slowly do - because it needs to be done. Sometimes you gotta learn to love tradition.

The souls' existence on another plane and still being with us in a sense, is what my belief says. On ama vasya day,when there is no moon visible, it is said that the plane on another level, passes one new day, , which to us is one month in our calendar, on this existence. And as we await our daily meal, it is this, the reason why we offer black-thil seeds and water, whilst doing the 'tharpan,' to signify an offering that transcends planes, every day to the departed soul, and to also feed the needy, so as to give the lost souls - in remembrance, and to give our own spirit, strength.

Never thought i would be able to do this, but today i await the ama vasya day, so as to relive a closeness to my dad and the ancestors, that i do miss dearly. A way to say i am doing what i know you would have done for me...

Inquilab - the story... the commitment...the youth

1) Could you tell me the main theme of the song?

The intention is to give us the strength to stand up and unite against the terror.

2) Pls tell me a bit about the inception of the song. How do you conceptualise it? Tell us about the creative team behind it? Tell us a bit about Prince Ali and Raqeeb Alam? How long did you take to make this song? How do you plan to distribute the song?

We wanted to do a song on unity. And so Prince Ali was kind enough to compose the music for it and though we had recorded it in english first, brother Raqueeb Alam agreed to write it in hindi and it was very kind of him too. We have done this together, in order to help any initiative that may be out there, and as musicians, this is the first step for us. Film - makers are welcome to discuss taking it to the next level :-)
Still in the process of distribution ideas, however it is a song for the people and so it's only right that the people help distribute it.

Mr. Srinivas and Mohan, Bryan and James, all helped in getting this on the sites. Vithur and the arrahmanfans group have posted this everywhere online. Look forward to any other ideas from anybody out there on the same.

3) There seems to a very potent sense of revolution in the song, something on the likes of Lalkaar from Lagaan? Was this an intended effect?

I think the anger is evident in all of us, and we are trying to use it constructively through song, to provide strength.

4) How have the attacks in Mumbai affected you as an individual? Has it changed your perception of life?

It is very sad..and still a shock.. having lived there for several years, it deeply angers .. that there is so much hate... but again, only unity in strength and love can overcome this... so we pray.

5) You have openly spoken about bringing to task the crooked police? Tell us about that.

Whenever there is an issue that touches, we feel to write about it.. hence when the issues with policemen being in the wrong came to light, we felt the need to address it. But today, with the way the police who were there in mumbai, fighting for us, and the way in which the security services laid down their lives for us, it truly is a blessing that they 'serve to protect' even in the toughest conditions. They are true heroes and we salute them. Right now, we love the police - no doubt.

6) What do you think the youth should do in order to set things right? What do you think the government should be doing?

The youth need to unite. Need to vote. Need to study politics, actively, to be ready to join when educated about it, to serve the country and bring back respect. Government needs to be more sensitive to its people. We all need to appreciate the freedom we have today...

Q & A

1. What made you decide to choose this career?

Destiny… I wrote my first rap in 1991 for the elections in Zambia. Had written a poem and my father read it and got his colleague, Ben Chiyesu, to play the guitar on it, and we performed it Live on ZNBC, the national TV station. That same week, the president won the elections and it became news that an Indian guy had rapped! Ever since then, I knew the power of Rhythm And Poetry (RAP) in telling stories and sending messages. However, as a career, that happened only in 2002. Have been struggling throughout those years to make it a career, and when I finally gave up in ’99 and concentrated on my Film degree(BA Cinema) and started working as a Producer for a music channel, and then a radio DJ in Mumbai, India, the call from Mr. A R Rahman came. That moment defined my career’s struggle… and hence destiny decided this would work – finally – Amen.

2. When did you first realize that you were famous?

Famous? maybe when in Zambia and I wanted to perform in ’93 at my old school, Mpelembe, and the girls, who normally would have not even said, ‘hello,’ were asking me to autograph their clothes!

3. How and why did you choose the name “Blaaze” for yourself?

Firstly, my full name is Lakshmi Narasimha Vijaya Rajagopala Sheshadri Sharma Rajesh Raman:

lakshmi narasimha - from a pujari at ahobilya mutt who told my grandad lakshmi narasimha is coming
vijaya - as i was born on a vijayadasami day
rajagopal - grand fathers name
sheshadri sharma - great grandfather sheshadri as my sharma
rajesh - mum was a big rajesh khanna fan hence rajesh
raman - dad's name

and blaaze - to encompass all of the above ...

It started as MC Blaze. MC meaning Mic Controller… then the accent on the e’ for the sound, and the extra a to make sure it was pronounced right.


4. Your number in Shivaji-The Boss was a runaway hit… what was your experience working with “The boss”?

A R Rahman was ‘The Boss’… Am yet to meet Mr. Rajnikanth… for real… it’s all prayers…and I guess the blessing to get a break with Rajnikanth’s Baba, which was really well received, lead to the next song.



5. You have worked with some of the greatest music composers… who is your favorite and why is it so?

A R Rahman. The greatest. He is magical and truly knows how to get the ‘best’ from each of his artists.

6. What is the one song which you have rapped/sung that remains to be your favorite to this day?

‘In My Father’s Words’ – It is a song that emphasizes that all religions preach One God – ( I believe in the words of the Prophet Mohammed, never to underestimate the power of the moment / I believe in the sacrifice of Lord Jesus, with the resurrection I believe that he freed us / I believe in the teachings Om Namah Sivaya, I’m a say it again, Om Namah Sivaya / I believe in the words of the wise today, I believe in what my father had to say )

7. You are known as a “responsible rapper”… Is it a conscious decision to have clean cut lyrics?

It is a conscious effort to rap about issues which matter to me. The rest follows, I guess.

8. Who is your inspiration?

Tupac Shakur. He was the realest and most soulful rapper that ever existed. He truly is my Guardian Angel too.

9. How does it feel to be the first Indian artist to be featured on an international channel like Vh1?

Feels like a blessing. Feels like knowing that maybe I am on the right path.

10. You have always been politically vocal through your songs (In My Father's Words,Ban the Crooked Police do you think more artists should voice their opinions through their music?

Yes. Infact, Rap is known for its power of the word… and so I do believe the pen is mightier than the gun.

11. What are you’re the current projects in your pipeline?

Inquilab – Stand Up & Unite … a song for the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks. A song for strength and unity. Please support the song by hearing it and forwarding it to your friends. Its free and its sincere.
Slumdog Millionaire… working with Rahman and Danny Boyle was amazing
ZambeZi Funk … my album with Sagar. Due for release in March 2009.
Global One Music … an album with 20 singers from around the world. To release early next year.
The Thirukural Album … trying to bring the kurals to a new generation of listeners. The first one releases with Mr. A R Rahman this week on his forthcoming album, Connections.

12. What made you decide to come out with an all English rap album?

Zambezi funk… Its an album with Sagar Desai and its more African in style and I think it’s time our ‘funkalistic syllables’ were ready for the world.

13. What advice would you give someone who also wants to enter this field?

Pray.. keep the faith.. persevere.. don’t give up… keep it real !!

14. Good luck in all your future endeavors… Is there anything you would like to tell your fans out there?

Do something for your community. Do something for society… through whatever way you know possible. Make a difference whilst on this earth. Smile for me …