Post #7 - May 23, 2007

One band that I frequently listen to is Outlandish. Outlandish is composed of three men, all who were raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, they are of different ethnic backgrounds. For example, Isam Bachiri is from Morrocco, Waqas Ali is from Pakistan and Lenny Martinez is from Honduras. This diverse band uses ethnic influences (i.e. such as an Arab beat) in their hip-hop songs.

Their music has various characteristic aesthetics. For example, as mentioned earlier, Outlandish often fuses popular Latino, Arab or South Asian beats (or even famous songs) in order to give their music a more wordly twist. For example, Outlandish used a famous French song sung by Cheb Khalid called "Aicha." The song expresses a man's love for a woman named Aicha who is impervious to his charms. Outlandish reworked the rhythm slightly and instead applied the song to a man who discusses how he feels respect for all the women in his life including his mother, sister and friends. Furthermore, Outlandish has a tendency to sing in different languages. The best example of this is a song called "Kom Igen" (Come Again) in which band members and featured guest artists rapped in five different languages. These languages included English, Dannish, Urdu, Spanish and Arabic. Using such diversity in their music has certainly helped broaden their fan base as these different languages and sounds can be gratifying to many different (ethnic) groups of people.

Another aesthetic that is common in Outlandish's music is their discussion of issues that are important to first and second generation immigrants. Because all three band members are the product of families that immigrated to Denmark, Outlandish tends to write songs that resonate with the children of these immigrants. For example, in the song "Guantanamo" each band member raps talks about how they are able to adapt cultural practices in a Western lifestyle; for instance, Waqas discusses how afterschool, he and his friends are more apt to play cricket (a popular Pakistani sport) than more traditional Dannish sports. Furthermore, Outlandish also wrote a song called "Life is a Loom" in which they talk about difficulties that first generation immigrants face. For instance, Waqas talks about an Indian cab driver who had to cut school from an early age because his father had left his family without any money while Isam raps about the experience of an illegal African immigrant trying to cross into Spain while using a forged visa. As one can see, each of these stories in some way apply or resonate with immigrants and their children.

Lastly another aesthetic that is common to Outlandish's music is that their music tends to reflect the sentiments of their core audience. Most of their audience base is composed of Muslims (both Isam and Waqas are practicing Muslims) and for that reason they have released many songs that resonate with the current Muslim community. For example, the song "Just Me" is about role of Muslims in the news and how more moderate Muslims find difficulty in reconciling the messages of fundamentalists with what is the true, peaceful message of their religion. Recently Outlandish's music has become more spiritual; this parallels the soul-searching that many Muslims in the community are currently engaged in. For example, in one song called "Any Given Time" Outlandish band members each discuss their respective relationship with God, the desire to become more spiritual and the difficulty of being a role model to family and friends. The song involves many repetition of the phrase "closer than veins" (which is actually a reference from the Qur'an where God states that He is far closer to a man then the veins in their neck).

All in all, Outlandish portrays itself as an alternative hip-hop band. Most hip-hop (particularly in America) is concerned with the glamor of drugs, women and money; for the general public, these are unfamiliar concepts and for that reason, many people feel a disconnect with hip-hop as it has moved away from its socially conscious roots. Many people feel that Outlandish and similar bands remain true to hip-hop's message by providing songs that resonate with immigrant youth and in the case of Muslims, that also resonate with the struggles of maintaining faith. As mentioned earlier, the ethnic beats that Outlandish utilizes as well as their lyrics helps demonstrate their commitment to discuss relevant social issues for all people.