In the third and final part of her new talent series, Asha Mehta dons her A&R hat and unveils the pick of the unsigned music crop.

From jangly guitar balladeers to sugary pop sirens, these up-and coming musicians are refreshingly eclectic but share just one tangible link: they all happen to be British Asian.

MC KABIR
Who? Rapper / singer / producer
Crib: London via Massachusetts
Signature sound: Socially-conscious sloganeering, simmering in a heady brew of frenetic hip hop beats and soul-drenched rhymes.

MC Kabir says: "My other role as an educator can occasionally lead to less of a promotional push for my music, which sometimes means less people coming to my shows, or not selling as many records as I could," he concedes, on the challenges of juggling music with a day job.

Nevertheless, Kabir still found time to burst onto the scene in style back in 2002. "My first album had just come out and Billboard put out an article about original, independent urban music. It was also about other hip hop groups, but somehow I made the cover of this huge magazine," he says with incredulity, recalling his big break.

The London-born rapper, who grew up listening to the Beatles and Stevie Wonder, decamped to the States as a nipper, where an all-consuming passion for music with a conscience took hold. Kabir started penning songs as a 12-year-old and went on to indulge his connection with political hip hop by basing his university thesis around it.

"I make so many different kinds of music that capturing my sound in a nutshell is problematic," considers the Public Enemy fan. "Sometimes I play shows with a full live band, sometimes solo with an acoustic guitar. Whatever I'm doing, I'd call it energetic, thoughtful hip hop with a message and a ton of influences from all around the world."

He is determined not to fall into the trap of churning out tiresome lyrical clichés and feels that if punters come out of his gigs more clued-up, it's a bonus: "If people have fun at my shows and enjoy the music then that's great. If my music makes people think about the issues that I'm bringing up, that's even better. Not everyone will agree with what I have to say but using music as a way to reach people is rewarding."

We say: Making the cover of US music bible Billboard ahead of hip hop heavyweights like Blackalicious is enough of an indication that MC Kabir is a name to watch. His networking credentials are impeccable, having already performed alongside illustrious acts like The Roots and Wyclef Jean.
The freestyler's worthy convictions are in his genes, as his father is none other than Nobel Prize winner, Professor Amartya Sen.

As he puts the finishing touches to his third record, 'Peaceful Solutions' and tours the East Coast, his brand of "hip hop with a brain" seems to have struck the perfect balance between political polemic and killer hooks. Fast becoming a fixture in the influential US college radio charts, the question remains how well the US references will translate across the pond.

Vital stats: www.mckabir.com


DJINN
Who? Singer /producer / lyricist
Signature sound: Meaty hip hop joints; Asian-accented R&B; Qawali-fied vocals; even Enigma-esque chill-out - you name it, Djinn has probably dabbled in it.
Crib: London and Pakistan

Djinn says: "I have a completely diverse sound, but my watermark remains. It's difficult to explain, but I've had songs played on Capital and people seem to know its me; I've done salsa versus hip-hop joints and people know its me; I've done underground drum 'n' bass and people know its me," ponders Djinn, trying to pinpoint his trademark sound. "No matter what I do, there's a particular ingredient that I unknowingly embed into the track."

To bail out hacks struggling to sum up the mind-boggling array of styles in his musical arsenal, UK-born and Pakistani-raised Djinn has helpfully coined a whole new genre: E-Vibe. "Seeing as my childhood was in Pakistan, I've embossed eastern spirituality into my music. It's a blend of east and west as well as New Age; that's why I created the genre, which stands for Eastern Vibe," he explains.

Disillusioned with the constraints labels placed on his musical freedom, he set up Djinn Music. "The offers that I had were very good financially but there is more to me than being a sell-out. I was very close to signing a contract but that would have been game over for me," insists Djinn. "I started my own label to have full control of my own image, direction and material."

After hooking up with Tom Linden and forming The Godfathers production team, Djinn has gone from supporting So Solid Crew and Iceberg Slimm to headlining underground R&B clubs across London.

"People around the world have shown nothing but love for the work I have done since day one," says Djinn, acknowledging his fanbase "Having said that, setbacks have been part of my career; that's why you haven't seen me on MTV as a one-hit-wonder. I've learnt a lot through the musical journey and am using those setbacks as my stepping-stones forward."

We say: His new single and soon-to-be dance anthem 'Point of Xstaci' featuring Mehi, is a sun-kissed slab of synth-soul, wrapped around blissed-out, devotional vocals, and can be found nestling inside Bobby and Nihal's Top 5.

Djinn's vocal-based platter, "Just a Thought' is about to hit the shelves, he has gigs earmarked for later in the year, and will also be wielding his production magic on hip hop newcomer Manifest's latest offering. On the cusp of breaking through, the Asian music industry better brace itself for its very own Renaissance Man.

Vital stats: www.djinnmusic.co.uk


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Part one was published here. Part two here.