Music
Call him Muhammad Ali Khan, JANI or Boljani, the voice behind the rap, the man behind the words remains the same. Hear his story from making music in his room to performing at Red Bull Off The Roof.
In early 2010s, Muhammad Ali Khan was in school surrounded by students who listened to Eminem and Tupac. A friend later sent him a folder through Bluetooth (when that was still a thing) containing Young Stunners music. And after a decade, Khan has evolved into JANI, an emerging talented rapper from Karachi.
JANI, also known as Boljani, started making music in 2013 with his schoolmate Super-duper Sultan. It took an inspiration from multiple sources for JANI to consider rapping in Urdu.
“I hadn't tried anything melodic yet. So when Sultan played the song "Lean Wit Me" by Juice Wrld, his music inspired me to create melodic music in my native language,” said JANI.
“JANI and I quickly became close friends bonded by our shared passion,” says Sultan, who now also works as his music producer. “We would spend our free time jamming together, often losing track of time as we experimented with different instruments, melodies, and rhythms. It was during these jam sessions that we truly felt alive, immersed in the world of music, and learning from each other with every note we played.”
A makeshift studio at home allowed them to keep making music, but it took them a while to be satisfied enough with their work to release it. However, once they hit the groove, they were officially in the game.
And with his signature style of rap, JANI is steadily ascending the ranks and making himself known in the industry. Recently, he had an opportunity to perform at the first ever Karachi show of Red Bull Off The Roof. And JANI is all too thrilled about his time atop the Red Bull Off The Roof bus.
“It was my very first performance on a bus. And it was an incredible experience for me as an artist!” he exclaims. “And I'm sure the audience feels the same way too.”
JANI also emphasized on having unique and exciting conceptual approach to concerts, which is beneficial for all parties, be it the audience, artists or the live music scene at large.
“The way Red Bull pushed this concept in Pakistan is thrilling. These types of concepts are both enjoyable and challenging for artists, which is great for creativity,” he says.
Red Bull did an incredible job, transforming a simple bus into a complete concert experience. It's truly impressive how they brought the music directly to the people.
The Jani-boy of the City of Lights also said that such platforms elevate the live music scene of the city as well as the country’s music industry. “Live concerts have again become more popular in Pakistan over the years and that’s great for both artists and audiences. It's amazing to see the industry evolving and coming up with new ideas. "Red Bull Off The Roof" will definitely contribute to this evolution and inspire even more creativity.
The 23-year-old rapper was beyond ecstatic about performing at Red Bull Off The Roof Karachi, so much so that he wrote a rap about it, continuing the partnership.
JANI, subsequently, is now part of the launch of Red Bull 60 Seconds in Pakistan as one of the first featured artists. For that, he wrote a 60 second rap talking about Red Bull Off The Roof.
With catchy phrases such as “we hit the road, hue sheher tere hazir” (we hit the road, we come to your city) and “Numaish Karachi se Lahore, Shalimar me ho shor!” (Exhibiting from Karachi to Lahore, full rapture in the Shalimar), JANI captures the spirit of Red Bull Off The Roof and the essence of the concert-on-wheels travelling from city to city, entertaining the locals.
The project also meant a new collaboration between JANI and his school friend-turned-music producer Super-duper Sultan. With Sultan and JANI’s friendship going way back, the comfort level between them allowed them to be quite creative and that mean knowing what kind of a beat and rhythm to go for.
And because Sultan also produced a track for Shareh Akhter, another artist featured in Red Bull 60 Seconds challenge, it was a task for him as the producer to ensure there is a distinct sound for each one. For Jani, Sultan says the friendship they’ve built over the years meant there was instant chemistry. He just knew what to do.
“The collaboration with Jani and Shareh for Red Bull 60 Seconds came about through our mutual love for music and a shared vision for the project,” says Sultan. “For Jani’s track, we focused on a more Boom bap, funk hip hop sound.”
“The Red Bull 60 Seconds challenge is worldwide, and it's such an honor for me to be among the first artists from Pakistan to take part in it,” says JANI. “The song is all about "Red Bull Off The Roof". It's a groovy and traditional mix with smooth lyrics that capture the spirit of passion, hustle, and dreams.
After rapping off the roof, off the charts, on the bus and in a minute, what’s next for the Jani of Karachi? Well, he’s got a lot on his plate, as he would admit.
“I’ve always got a lot on my plate. My latest release was my debut album LOSTALGIA and more singles and massive collaborations are on their way.