With his face obscured under a balaclava and a pair of sunglasses, Punjabi rapper Real Boss clearly likes to keep things under wraps. But that’s an important part of his persona—and he justifies the authenticity and authority behind his name with fierce beats and clusters of busy bars. He’s not afraid to experiment with noise, either: on his 2021 single “Shabab”, traditional Punjabi instruments such as sārangī and tumbi are treated with effects and mixed with the sound of sirens to fit seamlessly with his bouncy hip-hop flow. Successive singles like “12 Bor” and “Tell Me?” go even harder with snarling bass and tense atmospherics. Snare beats on 2022’s “Questions” hit like body jabs, while 2023’s “HONEYBEES” stings with its pounding 808s and ominous piano hook. Real Boss’ gravitas made him a perfect partner for Mumbai’s hip-hop collective SMG on 2023 EP Untitled and his star turn on singer-songwriter Shivjot Suchipind’s 2023 driving foot-tapper “Fraud” is also noteworthy. Masked he may be, but Real Boss is the real deal and that’s anything but a secret.