6 eclectic tracks that shaped Raf-Saperra

When it comes to music taste and inspirations, growing up in a city like London is a kind of cheat code. At least, that’s the case for British-Punjabi phenom Raf-Saperra. From growing up in south London, to cruising around the capital as a DHL delivery driver during the coronavirus pandemic, he tapped into the city’s unique and endlessly diverse music scene to fuel his own rise to global stardom.

Listening to Raf-Saperra records like 5 Deadly Venomz and Venomz Vol II., or even the 2026 single “Bass Dhol” – a collaboration with Ahadadream and Skrillex – you’ll find traces of the tracks he listened to on the come up, from the omnipresent Bollywood bangers of the Indian singer and music director Himesh Reshammiya, to the “cinematic” hip hop of Westside Gunn, to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s contemporary take on traditional qawwali (Sufi devotional music originating in Pakistan and India).

Tracks from other artists, as Raf-Saperra tells Dazed, were just as influential on his attitude and outlook as his beats and melodies. See: Giggs and Blade Brown, who helped defined an era of unapologetic British music that didn’t just define itself in relation to what was going on across the pond, or Max B, whose music proved the importance of charisma and confidence when Raf-Saperra was in his late teens.

Today, that confidence translates to sold-out tours across the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, collaborations with South Asian artists and East Coast rap legends alike, a Juno Award nomination, and a number one hit on the official British Asian chart. Plus (in case you missed it) Raf-Saperra recently brought things full circle with an intimate fan event hosted by DHL at London’s Village Underground, where the breadth of his musical roots was truly on show. 

Below, we dive deeper into those inspirations via six of the songs that shaped Raf-Saperra, in his own words.

Raf-Saperra: “If you ask me to bottle my adolescence into one song, it’s this. 

“Himesh wasn’t just making hits. He was having one of the most ridiculous runs Bollywood has ever seen between 2005 and 2008. Every taxi, every wedding, every family party, every corner shop… his music was everywhere. As a British Asian kid growing up in south London, those songs became timestamps for my life.

“‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’ still feels like a time capsule. It instantly transports me back to that era. Before I ever thought about becoming an artist, before any career ambitions existed, there was just music finding me.”

Raf-Saperra: “Max B was the soundtrack to my sixth form years. His music taught me that charisma can be just as important as technical ability. Everything sounded effortless. He made melodies feel conversational and his confidence was infectious. You could hear someone completely comfortable in their own skin.

“When I think about my late teens – getting into fashion, discovering New York rap properly, figuring out who I wanted to become creatively – Max B is playing in the background somewhere. ‘Sexy Love’ is still one of those records that never gets old.”

Raf-Saperra: “This song genuinely changed my life. When I was working as a delivery driver, I’d have ‘Naag’ blasting through London with the windows down between drops. Around that same time I was building a following by posting Punjabi covers online. Then I uploaded my version of ‘Naag’.

“It spread like wildfire. Jazzy B himself reposted it and showed love. For someone I’d grown up listening to, that wasn’t just a surreal full-circle moment, it was one of the first times I felt the bridge between generations. The music I grew up idolising was suddenly looking back at me.

“Moments like that stay with you forever.”

Raf-Saperra: “This is the record that opened the Griselda [Records] universe for me.

“Westside Gunn is my favourite MC alive. Eggz became the soundtrack to one of the hardest periods of my life – when I was broke, cynical and trying to build something out of nothing. There was something about the atmosphere. The dusty loops. The luxury references sitting next to raw street stories. It felt cinematic.

“That whole Griselda movement completely shifted my perspective. It reminded me that authenticity ages better than trends. You don’t have to smooth the edges off your art to make people pay attention. Without records like this, there probably isn’t a 5 Deadly Venomz or Venomz Vol. II.” 

Raf-Saperra: “Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is the undisputed emperor of qawwali.

“This version of ‘Kinna Sohna’ from Magic Touch (1991) was constantly playing around the house when I was growing up. It’s probably one of my earliest musical memories. Looking back, that album almost predicted the direction my own career would take. It fused traditional South Asian music with contemporary production without compromising either identity. That’s something I’ve spent my entire career trying to do.

“There’s another layer that means a lot to me too. The album was recorded at Planet Studios in Coventry by the legendary Tom Lowry. Years later I’d end up recording my own music there and working with Tom myself. There’s something really beautiful about following those footsteps. It reminds me that some of the most important chapters in British South Asian music weren’t made somewhere else – they were made here.”

Raf-Saperra: “This record represents an era where UK rap stopped asking for permission. Giggs and Blade Brown created something timeless. There was no compromise, no chasing American trends, no watering anything down. It sounded unmistakably British because it refused to be anything else.

“For my generation, records like this gave artists permission to embrace where they came from instead of looking across the Atlantic for validation. UK rap wasn’t an imitation anymore, it had found its own voice. 

“I’ve carried that mentality into everything I’ve made. Whether it’s Punjabi folk, qawwali or hip-hop, I’ve never wanted to dilute any part of my identity. The goal has always been to make music that’s rooted in where I’m from while speaking to people everywhere.”