Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The kingdom’s rap and hip-hop music scene is being showcased on the global stage.
A song, Run It, by Hussam Aseem, better known by his pseudonym ‘Flipperachi’ or ‘Flipp’ fuels some of the on-screen action seen in the Netflix original series Fast and Furious: Spy Racers Sahara.
“The lyrics of the song are inspired by the energy that the Fast & Furious franchise brings in general,” Flipp told GulfWeekly.
“We wanted to capture the right vibe both musically and lyrically to create something that fits the overall theme of the show. It’s all about high speed, adrenaline, and winning.”
The song’s beat underscores a couple of high-octane action sequences during ‘Robocleave,’ the seventh episode of the series’ third season, released on December 26, 2020.
Run It is one of two songs from the region to be included in the series, with the other being Let’s Get It by Nawaf Fahed, better known as ‘Daffy’, in the third episode of the season. Both artists work under the Bahrain-based hip hop label DJ Outlaw Productions.
Fast and Furious: Spy Racers Sahara is an animated series, based on the Fast and Furious film franchise, and is executive produced by Vin Diesel and Gary Scott Thompson, who helped set up the universe and characters for the multi-billion-dollar street-racing saga.
“The team working on the production of the show approached us with the concept of the songs and what they needed, and we took it from there,” Flipp explained.
“The idea comes from a combination of the production team’s brief as well as years of watching Fast and Furious and being very familiar with its plots, settings, and essence.”
“Both songs were completed in the beginning of 2020. It took around a few days to put it all together. The production of the music comes first in our process followed by writing the lyrics and recording.”
The 33-year-old musical artist had quite an illustrious 2020, working on a plethora of corporate projects while also releasing a number of singles including TNFS and El Corona.
He has previously performed live across the region, including Bahrain Summer Festival, Formula 1 Race Zone, Red House Hip Hop music festival and in 2015, he shared the stage with one of hip hop’s most influential figures, Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels aka DMC.
With an explosion in his popularity and the rise of hip hop regionally, Flipp has become emblematic of the kingdom’ burgeoning musical scene. So it comes as no surprise that the musician was approached as the world’s most successful racing movie franchise made its foray into depicting the MENA region.
“It feels great being part of something that is recognised and watched on an international level,” the performer said.
“This season of the show is based in the Middle East and they needed music to fit the setting while still being in line with the Fast and Furious aesthetic. We’re grateful to be their choice of Arab hip hop artists to feature, and it’s definitely an honour to be a part of it.”
