Bahraini hip hop

Bahraini hip hop is relatively young and small compared to some of its counterparts around the world. One of the most popular Bahraini hip hop producers is DJ Outlaw.

Bahrain's large middle class tend to be outward looking which has meant that young Bahrainis tend to be attuned to international trends, with the vitality of the local rap scene one manifestation. In addition, Michael Jackson's relocation to the Kingdom has given an international spotlight to the scene with international DJs now appearing in the Kingdom.

DJ Whoo Kid, who accompanied American celebrities Tyson Beckford and John Legend to attend the Bahrain Grand Prix, said of rap's popularity: "I must have signed over 300 autographs and posed for 500 pictures with the people of Bahrain. I can't believe how far hip-hop has come, and thanks to the Internet many locals have been downloading my CDs for years. I was hanging with princes and sheiks. If that doesn't prove hip-hop is global I don't know what does."

Although he did find differences between the US scene and that in Bahrain "The difference between our hip-hop culture and Bahrain's is that Bahrainis enjoy the music more and do not care about the beef that is often involved in hip hop. Urban clothing is the one thing that has not seemed to infiltrate the youth culture in Bahrain. When I went to the local clubs, people were dressed in high-end brands like Gucci, Prada or Versace, or their custom robes and tops."

DJ Outlaw

DJ Outlaw, also known as the founder of the hip hop scene in Bahrain, is the founding member of Outlaw Productions. He was fascinated by the hip hop movement from a very early age. His musical career started in 1997 when he began as an independent DJ. However, unlike the few other of the time, Outlaw refused to limit his career to merely DJing at parties. As his understanding and thirst for the art form grew, so did his talent;

This began to become apparent in '99 when he managed to start his own music production studio at home. Since then, Outlaw had all his efforts set on digging for fresh youthful talent who have the passion for hip hop just like he does.

Soon enough, DJ Outlaw was known for producing mix tapes, organizing concerts, parties and charitable events. He has been mainly devoting all his efforts into finding genuine musical talents, subsequently illuminating the Hip Hop of Bahrain as more powerful and unified musical facet.

Through out the years, Outlaw has accomplished organising and performing in many events such as The "Promote Peace Through Hip Hop" Concert featuring Opus Akoben and Army of One, “Bring it on” Break dancing contest, the "Tupac Still Breathing Tour" featuring the Outlawz, Young Blaze and DJ Domination, not to mention numerous other local concerts and events. Currently, DJ Outlaw is known to be the official Outlawz Middle East tour DJ and is a member of the famous Slip and Slide Records DJs consisting of artists such as Trina, Rick Ross and plise signed to their label.

DJ Outlaw is now in the process of producing his debut album, featuring signed and unsigned artists from within Bahrain and outside it. “This album portrays the idea of the Middle East meeting with the West-Making everyone unit in one Album.” – He says. The album is planned to be released late this year.

Recently, DJ Outlaw & ShadyVile's DJ Woogie dropped a hot mix tape to rock the streets and more to come.

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/djoutlawproductions/ DJ Outlaw on MySpace]
* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060405/ap_en_mu/music_whoo_kid Hip Hopping Big Time in Bahrain] , DJ Whoo Kid, AP, 8 April 2006