Sidhu Moose Wala memorial mural coming to Brampton

The City has given the go-ahead for a mural commemorating Brampton rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, gunned down in India earlier this year.

Known by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala, Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu was killed in May while travelling in a vehicle in the Mansa district in Punjab.

Councillor Gurpreet Dhillon tabled a motion for the mural in Moose Wala’s memory, and Brampton City Council has now approved a design for a 12′ by 8′ piece painted by a team of volunteer artists.

Council has approved a location for the mural on an exterior wall of a utility building at the Susan Fennell Sportsplex, and the public art piece will also have an accompanying tree planted in Moose Wala’s memory at request of his family.

The mural project has a maximum budget of $1,500, including supplies and materials. Council approved the mural design and at a special meeting on Monday.

The design was created by lead artist Jasmin Pannu, a Brampton-based artist whose clients include StreetARToronto, Adidas, and Coca-Cola among others.

Pannu art has been exhibited at galleries like The Royal Ontario Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Arts and The Ontario Science Centre.

Once completed, the mural will be sealed with a UV protective anti-graffiti coating and the City will inspect the memorial mural annually for maintenance.

Wala was born in 1993 in Moose Wala in the Mansa district of Punjab, India.

He moved to Brampton in 2016 and attended Sheridan College as an international student after studying at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College in Ludhiana, gaining his education in electrical engineering.

Over 30 rounds were fired into Wala’s vehicle on May 29 by occupants of two other vehicles. Police believe there is gang involvement in the murder, according to reports on NDTV.

Moose Wala reportedly sustained some 19 gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead a short time later.

The rapper was a controversial figure in India, in part due to his lyrical style. In 2020, police charged him under India’s Arms Act for allegedly promoting gun culture in one of his songs.

The rapper also joined India’s Congress Party last year and unsuccessfully ran in the state’s assembly elections.

Wala was influenced by Tupac Shakur and became known for his music in 2017 with hit song “So High.”

His debut album in 2018 made it to Canada’s Billboard Albums chart.