ARAB

The first thing the world ever gave him-his nickname-was a kick in the face. From the age of five, Hempstead, N.Y. native Amar M***** has been called "ARAB" by his peers, the nickname sticking after his father, who the other kids thought was Middle Eastern or Saudi Arabian. But like everything the world has thrown at him, ARAB took the derogatory sobriquet and wore it as a badge of honor from that day forward, vowing to take every insult and spit it back at where it came from. That attitude got him into numerous fights and countless school days off starting as far back as kindergarten up until High School. The one thing that people always commented on in his earlier years until today was his drive, determination and the love for whatever he was into at the time. Full time student by day, full time drug dealer by night. Whatever he did, he made sure he did it with perfection, and was well dressed while he did it. But its the kind of resume he’ll need, if he intends to go anywhere in the Long Island rap scene that he describes as stale and rife with copycats. "There’s a whole lot of unheard talent on Long Island, but everyone is doin the same thing," ARAB said. "Everyone sounds the same....So I’m trying to set the bar for Long Island....And if you ain’t up to par, youll just be left in the wind." The 22-year-old ARAB (clearly) isn’t short of confidence yet his rhymes are a refreshing departure from the self-centeredness into which modern hip-hop has declined. In a song entitled "For My Culture" on his upcoming Mixtape Album, Midway Radio Vol.2, Arab expresses the pain of watching urban society fall into a style obsessed culture and "going broke tryna buy them Air Nikes." ARAB embodies the staple characteristics of Long Island rap with an over the top persona and stage name, but also delivers his socially-conscious lyrics with the kind of pain and urgency that forces you to listen. Yes, it’s been done before... however, hearing ARAB put his brand on it reminds you of why it needs to be done again - Matthew Wilson, Rolling Stone Magazine.Myspace Layout Stealer