The Desert Crew
Cleveland, Ohio
Muslim American Rap

Since their inception in the 1980s, rap and hip hop have been the voice of social consciousness. At first a form of protest against the negativity and apathy toward primarily urban African American, rap and hip hop are now forms of expression for many who feel disenfranchised. Three young vocalists--Seif M. Hamid (aka Seif Al-Din), Ahmad Hassan (aka Phareone), and Ameer Kim El-Mallawany (aka Quazymoto)--make up this Arab-American rap group based in the Midwest. The Desert Crew (TDC) raps over everything from typical old school drum-sample-scratch beat to a synthesizer-heavy electronic beat to emotional string tracks. Through wordplay and humor, the trio proves with hip hop that you can make a serious point while still having fun.

Interested in hip hop since a kid, Egyptian-American lyricist Seif M. Hamid draws on inspiration from the hip hop artists of the late 80s and early 90s, as well as more recent artists such as Talib Kweli and Common. In addition to writing lyrics, Seif has DJed, and serves as a producer for underground hip hop acts and for independent filmmakers and artists around the country. Seif's production arsenal consists of turntables, synthesizers, Egyptian hand drums, and guitar.

Ameer Kim El-Mallawany, known through his music by several names, (most notably qwazymoto the gray ghost or ab original), is a second-generation American of mixed Korean and Egyptian ancestry. Currently a student at Yale University, Ameer is a community activist and organizer who works through his music to uplift the Asian-, Arab-, and Muslim-American communities in any way he can. Raised in and influenced by the revolutionary hip hop of the late 80s (especially Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan), he also cites as major influences the various mentors and elders in the community who freely shared their valuable experiences.

At the age of eleven, Ahmad Hassan spit into the built-in mic of his mother's boom box to record his first a cappella "album." Around the same time Ahmad and future TDC group member Ameer teamed up to spit elementary diss raps aimed at playground rivals. From there, Ahmad's amateur hip hop career took off, from rapping over artist's cassette single instrumentals to performing at school talent shows and underground clubs and bars. Ahmad occasionally performs his lyrics at spoken-word performances at Ohio State University where he is also organizing the university's first Multi-Cultural Hip Hop Association and Active Artists, an organization focusing on exposing social injustices through various forms of art.


Links

http://www.thecrescent.biz/tdc.htm