Born in Baghdad, Raised in Montreal by Hip-Hop Street Culture....
Spittin’ Cobra, also known as Haider was born in 1984 in the city of Baghdad, Iraq. The turbulence of the Iran-Iraq war and the desire for a better life forced his parents to think about their future. A year later, young Haider along with his parents and still unborn sister were on a plane bound for their new home: Montreal, Canada. Upon arrival, the family soon realized, like every other immigrant living here, that the pursuit of happiness was going to be a long struggle. Hard times had him and his family constantly on the move. Having lived in various neighborhoods such as NDG and Uptown, he spent most of his life in the St-Low (Ville St-Laurent) area. St-Low is where he grew up, where he was introduced to the streets, but it was also where he met his first true love: Hip-Hop music. His influences were 2Pac, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, but more notably Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for their original style. At the age of 10, Haider was known as the little kid on the block that could spit any Bone Thugs song from start to finish! At 13 he wrote his first verse and hasn’t stopped since. He subsequently took on the name “Spittin’ Cobra†for the venom that he spits on the mic and into the ears of his peers. Now living in the west, this young artist has seen many ups and downs that life has to offer and is injecting his experiences into his lyrics.
The Iraqi rapper tries to stay original and he does this by not sticking to the norm or following trends. Many other rappers tend to saturate the airwaves with jewelry, money, fancy cars and expensive clothes, things that not everyone can actually relate to. Spittin’ Cobra on the other hand wants to reach as many heads as possible by covering a wide range of topics that touch all facets of humanity. Weather it be friendship, betrayal, family, love, hate, war, drugs, police harassment or racism; the talented mc depicts any subject he raps about in vivid color all whilst keeping it relevant to the diverse people of his city. Indeed, his originality comes from his versatility.
Spittin’ Cobra keeps his ears to the streets and stays connected with the neighborhoods of his city. It’s through this connection that he met Feros, a French rapper/producer and Darkstarr, a producer/graphic artist. The three joined forces to form UMR (United Minorities Records), a movement that aims to unite all hoods and ethnic groups, and to uplift the communities. With his UMR family by his side, Spittin’ Cobra has graced the stages of several Montreal establishments such as Le Zest, Sala Rosa, The Medley and Bogey’s Billiards just to name a few. Through these Hip-Hop venues and through organized block events, UMR will keep gathering the masses and spreading the message: UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL...
