If you don’t already know, then it’s about time you found out. The takeover begins here and now as the devastatingly superfly sounds of the Sona Family, speed their way to your stereo leaving it smoking. Straight outta East London, this collective have been blazing a trail with their anthematic mixtapes and international releases. So much so, that their last trip to India warranted 40 foot high, hand painted Bollywood style billboards of them on the main highway in Mumbai.

So far, the collective have been allowed to run riot on a rap special with Tim Westwood on Radio 1, appeared on hit selling Hip Hop Compilations, earned 4 nominations at the BRAMA’s [British Asian Music Awards] for their club smash ‘Glassy’ [an ode to Punjabi shot drinking culture], played to huge crowds at Glastonbury and more recently, delivered their latest mixtape ‘Family Hustle The Mixtape’ which has sold in excess of 1,000 copies online via word of mouth only. Their extensive tour schedule had taken them around the world allowing them to perform in Germany, India, Dubai and the USA.  In September 2006 they headlined at the ‘Dubai Rain Festival’ performing to 15,000 people and sent fans into a frenzy and message boards on fire.  

Head honcho and producer Harry Sona’s all star casts includes, mixmaster extraordinaire JC who he met with while at University.  It was with JC and some additional members that the original line up for the Sona Family came into existence. The original line up has evolved and now includes honeyed vocalists and rapper Mr. Riz who joined the crew after a chance meeting at seminal UK Hip Hop event ‘Kung-Fu’. Completing the ensemble is female songstress Kazz, who was introduced to the crew via a mutual friend. Collectively their inimitable ability to unify scorching R&B, Crunk, dancehall and slabs of infectious Hip Hop laced with a sprinkling of desi piquancy, has made them stand a whole block away from the pack.

Their premiere underground mixtape ‘Sona Kaandaan’ [Sona Family in Hindi] brimmed with exuberant punchlines and satirical insights on being stigmatised as a Brit-Asian act that produced “some of that in fashion rang-a-jang stuff”. It featured a standout refix of ‘More Fire Crew’s’ now garage classic, ‘Oi!’.  The Family’s version, ‘Oi, Whos That Asian Girl!’ was a no brainer. More than 10,000 illegal copies of the mixtape were downloaded landing them a prime time slot on Bobby Friction & Nihal Presents… on Radio 1 plus a B-Side on More Fire’s single release. The track was hammered on Kiss 100, Choice FM and countless pirate radio shows around the UK. 

2003 saw the Family, drop a succession of club bangers with ‘Indian Style’, Bang Boogie’ and Hey Hey’ all of which had massive specialist radio plays and featured on countless compilations worldwide. The Sona Family’s production outfit, the Trailblazerz then went on to release the acclaimed ‘100 Rupee CD’ mixtape in 2004 demonstrating the crew’s progression through production, songwriting as well as showcasing South Asian talent from the UK, USA and Canada.  It also spawned one of the biggest records of 2005...’Glassy’.  The infectious chorus grew to behemoth proportions,  selling over 100 000 copies  when released in 2006 in India and is even today, a huge club anthem at South Asian parties the world over .

In the UK alone, the single remained in the on the BBC Asian Network’s Top 20 chart for an incredible year! It was also #1 in Adil Ray’s Desi Dancefloor chart for 9 weeks. The side-splitting video for the single was directed by Harry Sona himself and won a ‘Bollywood Music Award’ last year for ‘Best Dance Video in Atlantic City, New Jersey.