The Narcicyst is an Iraqi-Canadian rapper with a searing intellect and a killer sense of humor. Narcy grew up between the UK and UAE, and was one of the originators of the Arab hip-hop movement. He started his musical work in the group Euphrates, but went solo in 2004 when the life of his best friend and bandmate was cut short. Calling himself an “ambassador for conscious Arab hip-hop,” Narcy makes music with the purpose of blowing something up: your mind, sucka.
The Narcicyst has shared the stage with folks from Kanye West to K’naan to Talib Kweli, giving him plenty of cred in the ‘conscious’ hip-hop scene. In 2008 he received a grant from FACTOR, The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings, in order to independently produce his own record. Maintaining the sharp and sardonic wit of his previous albums, The Narcicyst’s May 26 release is entitled P.H.A.T.W.A.
And as if all of this weren’t enough, this newly emerging talent is, well, multi-talented. Narcy scored the 2004 documentary Voices of Iraq, which received critical acclaim for its innovative technique; will soon publish his Master’s thesis “Fear of An Arab Planet: The Diatribe of a Dying Tribe”; works as a journalist and educator under the name Narcel X; and is starring in the upcoming film City of Life. It makes me tired, and humbled, just reading this list of accomplishments. But it ain’t all politics and prose for Narcy. If he can’t get us to “awaken the sleeping revolution in our minds and souls,” he does have a back up plan: “to get people to dress with a little more style and work on their steez for crying out loud!”
Peep this, friend. And get the comedic revolution started:
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