Remember the name Raf-Saperra. Bold, transgressive and disruptive all at once, he’s the South London-hailed Punjabi genre-bender lighting up the UK music scene. When last did you hear the kaleidoscopic sounds of traditional Punjabi folk and Sufi devotional music entwined with quintessential East coast hip hop? Mix that with generous helpings of UK underground, bhangra, grime, garage, pop and even dash of heavy metal, and you’re likely on terrain you’ve never walked before. This is the inimitable niche that Raf-Saperra has carved out for himself. In his musical realm, there are no rules.
The last few years have been a whirlwind. Raf’s breakthrough came in 2022 with hit track, “Modern Mirza”, followed by a daring 2023 debut project entitled Ruff Around The Edges. In 2024, he released his EP, 5 Deadly Venomz, setting the stage for his newest and boldest pursuit yet. Venomz Vol. II showcases Raf’s subversive versatility, enlisting the voices of hip hop greats, including the legendary Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah, and modern-day rap hitter, Benny the Butcher, one-third of collective Griselda (alongside Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine). With huge new projects underway, including an iconic collaboration with Skrillex, Raf is just getting started.
In light of this new release, Raf-Saperra sits down to talk roots, culture and being the flyest to do it in his lane.
How do you feel now that Venomz Vol. II has been shared with the world?
“It’s electric. Venomz is a passion project ’cause it’s my two favourite genres: Punjabi folk music and hip-hop. This project is a safe space for those genres. This is part two following 5 Deadly Venomz, which was the predecessor, and it’s received such a phenomenal response.
I’ve never really entertained sequels before but this has been like honouring the tradition of hip-hop mixtapes and also Kung Fu films that would come in various volumes. The title 5 Deadly Venomz originally came from the Shaw Brothers classic Kung Fu movie.
There’s gonna be Venomz projects, three, four, five… the show keeps going on. But to see that part two alone has had such heavy feature titles from Ghostface Killah to Benny the Butcher… I have to take a step back and really look at the fact that I’m doing this. And not just as a Punjabi artist, but also just as a kid from Streatham, South London. Like yo, this is a contribution I’m making to the wider canvas of hip-hop, as a kid from Southwest. When that settles in and when I look at it from that point of view, I’m proud of myself.”
Tell us more about the roots and inspiration behind the Venomz theme.
“The word ‘saperra’ actually means snake charmer [in Punjabi]. The theme links back to my stage name, so Venomz is such a full circle moment. It’s a head-nod to being the snake charmer from the South, and it’s a head-nod to 5 Deadly Venoms of Brooklyn, which was an infamous underground hip-hop mixtape, featuring five DJs from New York including Tony Touch and DJ Premiere.”
What do you want people to take away from the Venomz Vol II after listening?
“I want them to notice that this is a very carefully and tastefully curated project that really champions me as an artist, working with other artists who I’ve either grown up listening to or who I currently listen to. This music isn’t in the English language, which can be alienating for some artists. But to still have that cosign and endorsement from artists who I really admire – I think that’s the real takeaway from this. And it’s my contribution not only to British hip-hop, but also expanding to a new generation of South Asian hip-hop.”
In recent years, we’ve seen the world embrace culturally diverse music into the mainstream. What are your thoughts on this shift, and do you envision the same for Punjabi and South Asian music?
“I think that consumption habits have really changed. Growing up, forget South Asian music, we never even used to hear British music on the radio. The British and American music catalogue has opened its wings, and I think other territories, languages and countries need to experience a similar thing.
Sometimes the mainstream is a guarded and very gatekept world. I think it’s just a case of breaking in past the gatekeepers. Even outside of doing a hip-hop focused project, in a matter of weeks I’m gonna be dropping another project with British producer and DJ, Ahadadream and Skrillex, which is entirely electronic focused.
Whether you bring man into the party or not, we are still knocking on the doors. We’re gonna be building culture, building taste and being undeniable. Some people are famous and some people have notoriety – I feel like I’m definitely the latter. And there’s no rush to what I’m doing. We’re enjoying ourselves, we’re having fun, we’re cooking and we’re getting some of the biggest co-signs by some of the biggest producers and collaborations.”
Talk us through your creative process and what inspires such a colourful blend of sounds?
“Growing up, I had different generations handing me down their taste. I’m a ‘90s kid, my parents moved to this country from Punjab in the late ‘80s. With my immigrant parents, there was a lot of Bollywood playing in the house and traditional stuff, Punjabi classics and Sufi Qawwali devotional music. That was like a family heirloom passed on to me.
But then also my mum was hearing those ‘90s dance tunes and listening to a whole load of Michael Jackson. I’m the youngest sibling of three. I heard a lot of hip-hop through my brother and a lot of rock – I was introduced to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, AC/DC and I was just building my music palate. The whole Slim Shady and 50 Cent era, that was a massive influence on me as well. And when my sister was growing up, she was getting into the whole swing of UK bhangra, which was massive around that time.
On top of that, being a teenager in ends, growing up in Streatham and Brixton, the gang-affiliated music was around me. We can put a very negative light on the subject, but the beautiful thing was how they turned it into a creative output as well – there was actually music being made. It was almost like a London Avengers and there was no record labels involved. Sure, it had its cons in terms of youth violence, but at the same time, we were building our taste palate in terms of what it’s like to be spitting UK rap. It was a very educational time, man. There was a lot going on.”
What message would you share with younger people from similar backgrounds to you, trying to follow their dreams in today’s creative climate?
“I think the most important advice that I can give is to carve your own niche – a niche of your own shameless and uncompromising taste. You shouldn’t be shy about that. With my stuff, despite how traditional I’ve kept it, it’s still fly.
I had a Punjabi song that was closing off KidSuper’s massive Paris Fashion Week finale. That was my tune. It wasn’t in English, but it was dope, it was fly and that’s why it resonated with him. So the point is: stay true to the genres and the themes and the things that you love, and stand next to them with loyalty. Carve out your niche.”
And finally, decades from now, what do you want people to say about Raf-Saperro when they look back on what you brought to the creative industry?
“The short and blunt answer would probably be – ‘Yo, he was the flyest Punjabi cat to do it!’ You know what I’m saying? But honestly speaking I would wanna be remembered as someone who really created a platform for representation. Representing not only my culture and being from the South Asian diaspora, but also representing the UK. For those two places, I bear the flag.
Growing up as a performing arts kid, wanting to become an actor, then having to go into screenwriting because I realised, that no one’s gonna cast me as the protagonist, and then the big role I’m gonna bag would probably be on some terrorist attack movie… I thought, ‘Nah bro, I’ve gotta rewrite the narrative.’ Commercial media has often shown South Asian men as weak and unattractive, et cetera. I want to be remembered for changing that narrative, and making people realise, ‘Nah, bro there’s fly Punjabi brothers out there too.’ And we’re from the ends!”