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Hip hop devotee Hussam Aseem has released his debut studio album ‘Straight Out Of 2Seas’ after three years of angst and a determination to ensure his work will inspire young music lovers in the kingdom.
Hussam, better known by his stage name Flipperachi (aka Flipp) believes the final score was worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears.
The 26-year-old father and human resource co-ordinator, who lives in Hamad Town, said: “It took this long because there were ups-and-downs in my personal life that kept me busy for a while.
“The whole album, which has different songs with different messages all about Bahrain and its capabilities to become a global success, came together in the end and was worth the wait.”
The compilation, produced by DJ Outlaw, the founder of the locally-based independent record label Outlaw Productions, focuses on the kingdom as well as Flipperachi’s personal opinions and experiences growing up on the tiny island of Bahrain, which means ‘2 seas’.
His songs touch on a variety of topics that he hopes will appeal to local youngsters with mixes of old-school vibes and Arabic-infused lyrics written straight from the heart. This is his personal ‘shout-out’ to Bahrain.
“My lyrics are inspired by all the life struggles and hard times that people suffer from and I try to rap about things that the listener can relate to,” explained Flipperachi. “Bahrain is definitely a huge inspiration to me.”
Tracks such as Louder and Dear Allah have already created much hype on the music scene with his fans and one song entitled We so fly has even inspired a new line in clothing!
According to Flipperachi, his song Louder portrays the message that size is not everything. Bahrain may only be a small dot on the world map but it is big in different ways thanks to its people, their talent and culture.
Flipperachi added: “My favourite song in the album is Dear Allah featuring Saudi singer Ayzee, because I put so much heart into it. This song was carefully done. I researched this project for a long time and was aware that any word that I may use could lead to a misunderstanding of the whole song and people might criticise me for putting it on the album. The whole process took months.”
The album also features different styles from rhythm-and-blues to rock and hip-hop. Co-producers also appear on the album such as DJ Shred from Kuwait and American comedian and actor Orlando Jones. It also features a number of regional and international artists including Daffy from Kuwait, Vico from Lebanon and the Hot Rod of G-Unit’s crew from the US.
He said: “My dream is to one day be recognised globally as well as get the chance to collaborate with international artists like Dr Dre, Jay-z and Busta Rhymes.
“My passion for hip-hop is way bigger than it looks and a lot of people are depending on me to make this happen and represent Bahrain.
“I go to the studio about three-times-a-week if we are involved in a new project and the studio that I record in at the moment is DJ Outlaw’s home studio. The new Outlaw Productions Studio is almost ready and once it’s done then that’s where I’ll be recording.
“The music industry in Bahrain is still not as big as it should be because it was not nurtured the right way, in my opinion. But I feel that it is evolving now and growing to become slowly recognised for its quality across the region.
“There are a couple of Bahraini artists who definitely boost its reputation abroad such as Ali Bahar and Ahmed Al Hermi. We have talent here in Bahrain.
“My advice to young rappers reading this article is to try to always improve. Always set high standards and continuously educate yourself. The key to success is ambition plus knowledge. It’s not easy but it’s worth it. As hopeless as it may seem at times, you just need to keep going. If I can make it, you can make it too.”
These are wise words from a lyrical master who worked day-in and day-out to improve his flow and timing in order to become the rising rapper that he is today and, just like his album, it was worth the wait.
Flipperachi has been dabbling in the Bahrain music scene since 2003, filling up notebooks with pages of lyrics inspired by the likes of legendary rappers such as the late Tupac Shakur and Christopher Biggie Wallace.
His all-time favourite hip hop artist is Busta Ryhmes from the Flipmode Squad, which is where the nickname Flipp came from.
In 2007, he signed on with Outlaw Productions after DJ Outlaw heard his music on social networking site Facebook.
Flipperachi said: “Being a signed artist gave me new opportunities and exposure. I used to play professional basketball with Al Hala Club but I stopped and that was when I completely focused on my music.
“I was first into R&B and then I started listening to Bone Thugs and Harmony, Tupac Shakur and Eminem. That’s when I fell in love with hip hop and got into it. So I started rapping.”
In 2008, he performed at the Bahrain International Circuit during the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix after winning the best Formula One theme song competition. He entertained the crowds with his Where The Heart Is song.
He also shared his rap with the kingdom at the F1 BIC Race Zone in 2010 and the Bahrain Summer Festival in 2012 and took part in the motivational song Bahrain Unite following the recent civil unrest. That is when his family came around to his career choice, even though rapping wasn’t his full-time job.
Flipperachi said: “Well, despite being good at what I do, my mum is an old-school mother and would’ve liked me to choose a more conventional and stable career.
“I did face difficulties and not everyone around me was accepting of what I was doing until around the time the track #BahrainUnite came out.
“My dad and sisters were cool about it and acknowledge my work from time to time. It was a passion and I couldn’t stop. I would sneak out sometimes to go record!
“Now they are supporting me since realising that I’m representing Bahrain and trying to make positive changes”
Aside from spending his days working a nine-to-five job and free-styling in the studio, Flipperachi is dedicated to spending quality time with his loving and supportive wife Najwa, 20, and one-year-old son, Mohammed.
The album is available from www.djoutlaw.com priced $9. The video for We So Fly will be available on MTV Arabia and YouTube in October.
