Yo Yo Honey Singh: Lesser known facts

After Shah Rukh Khan and Honey Singh finally buried the hatchet this year, fans have been waiting to see the duo together again after the raving success of ‘Lungi Dance’ in 2013. And if latest rumors are to be believed Honey Singh is in talks with SRK for a song in the actor's upcoming film 'Raees'. The two were reportedly embroiled in a brawl and there were whispers that the superstar had slapped Honey during the Slam Tour and asked him to leave the show. However, SRK and Honey’s wife, Shalini had denied the reports vehemently. The rapper then mysteriously disappeared after the Slam Tour and the reason for the same was said to be his illness. But the singer is now back in business. He even made his first public appearance at Mirchi Music Awards this year and if the collaboration for 'Raees' indeed happens, the song will surely be a chartbuster.

Yo Yo Honey Singh has been away from the music scene for a long time now. His single ‘Dheere dheere’ did release meanwhile, but Honey was nowhere to be seen. There were reports that it was because of his alleged showdown with Shah Rukh Khan. Other reports suggested that he was in a rehabilitation center. Well, whatever the case be, it seems that the Punjabi rapper is back. Honey Singh was recently seen at the Zee Cine Awards, and was asked by the media as to what he was upto all this while. In all his swag, the musician replied, “Kisi ke saath jhagda nahi hua. Main rest kar raha tha, chill kar raha tha, body bana raha tha.”

Read on to find out who had helped Honey Singh with the lyrics of 'Dheere dheere'...

Yo Yo Honey Singh’s mother wrote ‘Dheere dheere’?

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh is known for his upbeat tracks but his rendition of the ‘90s song ‘Dheere dheere’ is a pleasant change. The video of the song, which features Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor, has romance oozing out of it and Honey’s vocals are like a cherry on the cake. While the song sounds way different from the original track, the lyrics have been slightly tweaked too. But it is not just Honey Singh who has penned the lyrics for the song. A report on Bollywoodlife.com claims that Honey Singh’s mother, Bhupinder Kaur too wrote a certain portion of the song. So, for Honey, was music and writing in genes?

Read on to find out how the Punjabi-Hindi rapper inspired a character in a film…

Yo Yo Honey Singh may be missing from the music scenario, but he is making headlines. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the singer is an inspiration for a character in an Indo-American film, The Spectacular Jihad Of Taz Rahim. The report quoted Rahsaan Islam, the actor who will be playing an aspiring singer in the movie, as saying that his character of Taz was inspired from Honey Singh and he used to listen to the musician's songs all day long. The film also stars Monica Dogra and is directed by Raghav Murli.While the singer has inspired a filmmaker, read further to know about Honey Singh's efforts to spread awareness against drugs...

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, who has been keeping a low profile for quite some time due to health reasons, has now come out for a good cause. On the lines of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the singer was nominated by Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan to spread awareness against drugs. Taking the GM Against Drug campaign ahead, Honey Singh urged the youth to say no to drugs and yes to life, through a video. He nominated Mika Singh and Jazzy B to promote the cause further. However, not everyone is a fan of the ‘Blue Eyes’ singer.

Read on to know who called him a weak rapper recently...

Rapper-singer-live performer Bharat Goswami, known as Crazy King, says Yo Yo Honey Singh is a weak rapper, reports IANS. While commenting on India’s most loved rap artist, he said, “I don’t follow anyone, but I’m inspired by Bohemia. I have listened to all his music. I find Honey Singh‘s rapping weak. I don’t think he is a good rapper. He raps from the heart, but that doesn’t mean he lacks the full-gear of a hard-rapper. He has gears which make people jump with joy and dance to his tunes.”

Read on to find out how Honey thanked his fans for birthday wishes…

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh turned 32 on Sunday (March 15, 2015). The singer, who has churned out numerous hit songs for Bollywood and private albums, was absent from the music scene for the last few months due to his health. Honey celebrated his special day with collaborators Jazzy B and Alfaaz, besides some other close friends. He also thanked his fans in a tweet which read, "Very overwhelmed with all the messages and love you all showing. Much love and respect for being a part of My Musical Journey." [sic]

Read on to know about Yo Yo Honey Singh's comeback in Bollywood…

Honey Singh has recently posted a picture of himself on the photo-sharing site, Instagram. The rapper who has been away for a while now, has been conspicuous with his absence. While different stories are doing the rounds, it has been reported that the musician is not well and hence has taken a sabbatical. From his recent picture, Yo Yo seems to be on the road to recovery. He had recently also visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Let's take a look at how a little girl took a dig at Honey Singh's songs by coming up with her own version of his rap...

Yo Yo Honey Singh has carved a niche in the entertainment industry within no time. But looks like he will have tough competition in times to come. A video doing the rounds on the internet features a Delhi girl who seems to be irked with the rapper's catchy numbers that often describe women in a 'not-so-flattering' way. Rene Sharanya Verma of Delhi is seen mouthing her own version of rap that sends out a message that every female is flawless just the way she is. She even threatens Honey Singh in her own unique way.

For all Yo Yo Honey Singh fans, here are a few more lesser known facts about him that will intrigue and surprise.

According to a report on Hindustantimes.com, Shah Rukh Khan, who is making his TV comeback with India Poochega - Sabse Shaana Kaun, said that he hasn't had a fight with Yo Yo Honey Singh at all. SRK believes that Honey Singh is a sweetheart and a friend, and he hasn't met him for a long time as he has been unwell, the report stated. SRK who hopes for Honey's speedy recovery said to HT that he will surely call Honey Singh soon.

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, rapper Honey Singh who has been away from the limelight since October, has checked himself into a rehab centre in Chandigarh. The 31-year-old singer missed the entire season of his own reality show India's Raw Star and was then conspicuous by his absence at SRK'sSLAM! The Tour where he was set to perform. Honey's frequent collaborator Yo, who is his lyricist, was quoted in Mirror saying that Honey has not made contact with the team of artistes he usually works with and has even changed his cell phone numbers. “He told his team that he is taking a break to go home and spend time with his family. But instead, he checked himself into a rehab centre in Chandigarh in October. I have never seen him use drugs while working. But the rest of the time he was always high," the report quoted Yo. When quizzed about Honey's alleged fight with Shah Rukh Khan, Yo said to Mirror, “Neither of them may own up to it but I don't think Honey Singh will ever work with SRK again."

According to a report in Mid-day, Yo Yo Honey Singh seems to be a chubbier version of his former self. The singer who was in hibernation for a while now, had a New Year's gift in store for his fans who had been worried about his whereabouts. Apparently, the rapper posted a picture of himself with a bunch of kids in the background on his social networking account. His message to his fans was, "Celebrated my 1st day of 2015 with these orphanage kids. God bless." [sic] Honey Singh definitely appears to have put on a little weight in the picture and look markedly different from the musician we are used to seeing.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh's wife Shalini recently came to the fore to defend her husband in the wake of several rumours around his professional life. In an interview to Hindustan Times, she said, “It’s sad that at a time when he is so unwell, people are spreading all kinds of rumours about him. People call him seeking clarifications but then go ahead and print false stories.” When asked about the fight with Shah Rukh Khan duringSLAM! The Tour, she said to the daily, "Why would he slap him? These are all imaginary stories. Yeh toh sabko pata hai that Honey really respects Shah Rukh bhai, and bhai also treats Honey like a younger brother. In fact Shah Rukh bhai helped and supported us a lot. Doctors had advised Honey not to travel out of the country for the Slam tour but he had given his word to Shah Rukh Khan, so he went with him. However, on seeing his condition, bhai kept telling him to take it easy and not to perform if he wasn’t being able to. Bhai asked Honey to take care of his health. He was very understanding. On the tour, Honey was on heavy medication for his BP, and he slipped and fell during the rehearsals and injured his back and head. He was thus forced to come back home. So, Shah Rukh bhai hitting him is just a big rumour, we have no clue why and where it came from. He even got some calls asking him this and he made it clear that nothing like that happened. But even after the clarification those stories appeared, which is strange!"

Read on to know some lesser known facts about the singer...

He's the hottest thing in Indian music today and Bollywood cannot seem to get enough of him. Having collaborated with some of the biggest names in Bollywood, from SRK to Amitabh Bachchan, Yo Yo Honey Singh has a fan following amongst B-town celebs too. This record breaking artist has worked hard and success hasn't come to him easy. There was a time when no one wanted to produce his music. Shocking isn't it? Considering every song is a chartbuster!

The Indian rapper, music producer, singer and film actor's original name is Hirdesh Singh and he was born in Hoshiarpur in 1984. While those wondering how he got his name, he was named Honey by his mother and it worked. The interesting part is how he attached Yo Yo to it. In his interview on Comedy Nights with Kapil, the singer and rapper shared that in England people addressed him as your which sounded like Yo because of the English accent so he made it Yo Yo honey Singh, meaning 'your own Honey Singh'. This avid cricket fan who loves driving, lives in DLF Gurgaon.

What perhaps fans do not know is that the rapper, known for his audacious lyrics and peppy and catchy music, is married. He has admitted it in the media and according to his interview in The Times of India, he spoke about his wife not liking his music. "She doesn't like any of them. I guess she hates them but never says so.. (laughs). On a serious note, she mostly likes romantic songs, which I haven't sung any so far. However she really likes brown Rang and makes me sing it every day for her. Ab unke liye bhi kuch gana padega" said Honey. He has sang songs in many languages including Gujarati, Tamil and Punjabi and is open to singing in other regional languages.

He released his song brown rang online and it got 40 million views and his song Blue Eyes got close to 40 million likes online. Honey Singh shared an interesting anecdote on Kapil's show Comedy Nights With Kapil. The rapper was once on a tour in Jaipur, when the security outside his hotel room did not recognise him and asked him who he was because Jaipur was apparently shut because of him. It was when he asked the security to call their children did they recognise him. He further shared that his inspiration for the song Ek Bottle Vodka came from a junk collector who had collected empty vodka bottles while cycling and no one seemed to be bothered about what he was doing nor did anyone stop him.

His love for music took him to Trinity School in the United Kingdom where he studied the art. Honey Singh never intended to be a singer and only wanted to make music but destiny had other plans in store for him. He learnt music from many other places too but people said his music wouldn't work in India. He then went to England since the Bhangra scene was big there and made some English type of music. But once again he was told it wouldn't work there so he came to India and met many signers who once again told him his music wouldn't work. But Honey was determined that he would make the best music that would certainly work in the country. (As per his interview on Comedy Nights with Kapil).

The rapper is apparently the highest paid singer in B-town and according to a report in Hindustan times is said to have charged Rs. 70 lakh for a song in a film titled Mastaan, beating singing sensations Sonu Nigam: Rs. 10 – Rs. 12lakh and Mika Singh-Mika Singh: Rs. 10 lakh. He was mired in controversy for the song Main hoon balatkari (I am rapist). He was even booked by the Punjab and Haryana High Court for singing vulgar songs. Many cases were filed against him and he was drawing the ire of Women's Rights Activists for reportedly penning and singing the song, Main hoon balaatkari 'I am a rapist.' This came close to the Delhi gang rape case that shocked the entire nation on December 2012 and Honey Singh even cancelled his New Year's Eve concert. However, he claimed that the offensive song was not written by him.

Shahrukh's son Aryan is a Honey Singh fan and the rapper collaborated with him for the film Chennai Express. Honey describes SRK as a great person who is a genius. While talking to Kapil on his show CNWK, he shared how he went to Shahrukh's house and had made up his mind, that he would either give him a hit song for his movie or he wouldn't give a song at all. To get his part right and get the nuances of the accent, the rapper started watching Tamil films for the song Lungi dance. The producer was expecting a Punjabi song but Honey believed in his song and it went on to become a super hit. Reportedly loved mimicking Amol Palekar during his school days. Honey is said to be a big Bally Saggoo and Punjabi MC fan. Allegedly Honey Singh is also said to be a fan of the Famous American Astrologer Linda Goodman.