| Isam Bachiri | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | August 1, 1977 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 1997 – present |
| Labels | Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | Outlandish , Mintman |
| Website | http://www.outlandish.dk |
Isam Bachiri (Arabic: عصام بشيري - born August 1, 1977) is a Danish vocalist, rapper and songwriter for the multi-award winning hip hop group Outlandish. His family hails from Nador in the north-eastern part of Morocco.
Isam Bachiri is a Muslim of Moroccan descent born in 1977 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was raised in Brøndby Strand, where he currently resides. He went to the Islands Brygge School in Copenhagen, where he graduated as a mathematical student and went on to study at Odense University.
Bachiri came into contact with music in his youth through the developing hip hop scene and subculture in America. At the time, the hip hop scene and underground music subculture had become popular in Denmark and the rest of the world. Bachiri, influenced by this, began amateur-rapping and breakdancing. He soon realized that breakdancing was not for him and started focussing mainly on rapping instead.
In 1997, Bachiri joined Waqas Ali Qadri and Lenny Martinez in the creation of Outlandish, a group that takes influences from the three members' various backgrounds (Moroccan/Arab/Amazigh, Pakistani/Punjabi and Latin American). Together, they recorded their first single, "Pacific to Pacific," which was used in connection with an Amnesty International charity event. They went on to record five albums and several singles, achieving international success.
Having released three albums with Outlandish, which were mainly recorded in English and Spanish, Bachiri released his first solo album in 2007, titled Institution, which was recorded entirely in Danish. The single "I Danmark Er Jeg Født" was the most popular song from the album, produced and co-written by Mintman aka Carsten Mortensen.
Bachiri mainly writes his own lyrics. The two notable exceptions to this rule are Rene Camboni who has co-written most of his Danish tracks, and Omar Shah who has written/cowritten several tracks on the third Outlandish album, Closer Than Veins. Bachiri has also collaborated with fellow Muslim artists such as Majid, Sami Yusuf and Native Deen