User:Fabioandofilho/sandbox

Category:Arabic Hip Hop Category:Hip hop by nationality Category:Middle Eastern music Category:Arabic music

Hagage "AJ" Masaed or Hajaj Abdulqawi Masaed is an American-Yemeni rapper born in Ohio, considered to be the precursor of Yemen Hip Hop music.

Life and Career
From a family of poets, AJ started singing in 1978-1979, influenced by the New York scene. AJ's first time in Yemen was in 1981 after graduating from high school. He then decides to mix Arabic music with Hip Hop music, and in 1997 releases his first song 'Yemen: My Great Nation', about the Yemeni mores and discipline. The rapper moved to Yemen to care for his sick father and in 1999, placed in San'a, he releases his first album 'Nights in Arabia'. After that, the rapper drew international attention, attending to major events and, so far, released seven albums.

Work
AJ's music style is caracterized by the mixing of genres. Very influenced by the American funk and Hip Hop, he established this hybrid style by adding the mismar, an arabic flute, to some of his first hits. This versatility was also one of the reasons he drew international recognition, since he entered in the Yemeni music scene, he has been partnering up with several Yemeni artists, such as Hussein Muhib, Fuad Al-Kibisi, Fuad Al-Sharjabi, Ibrahim Al-Taefi, Abdurahman Al-Akhfash and others, and helping new ones to develop their talents. He has also played a major role on propagating the understanding of rap as a means of change.

The rapper sings both in English and Arabic and on his lyrics, he often addresses to socio-political issues, like combating the terrorism. In 2009, he participated in the first Yemeni Hip Hop Festival with the songs 'No Terrorists Please' and 'One Yemen United', he advocates social changing through rap music.

Discography

 * 1999: Nights in Arabia
 * 2006:Worldwide
 * 2010: Beladi