Mo Sabri

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Mo Sabri

Mo Sabri performing live
Background information
Birth name Mo Sabri
Origin Johnson City, Tennessee, US
Genres Hip hop, acoustic
Occupations Hip Hop Artist, Singer-songwriter, producer, musician, Rapper
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, piano
Years active 2010-present
Website mosabri.com

Mo Sabri is an American hip hop artist from Johnson City, Tennessee.[1][2] He is best known for his music videos on YouTube and is a musician credited by The Washington Post with transforming hip-hop "nasheed" music.[3] In February 2013, Mo Sabri's interfaith efforts were recognized by United States government officials and he was invited to Washington D.C. to attend breakfast with President Barack Obama.[4][5] Sabri's first album, The Overnight Classic, debuted as one of the top five highest-selling albums on the iTunes World chart during its first week in 2012.[5]

Early life

After playing double bass in his middle school orchestra, Mo Sabri taught himself to play guitar and started recording rap songs in high school.[6][7] He started performing concerts worldwide when he was still a pre-medicine student at East Tennessee State University.[4][8] He graduated from college in 2013.

Career

Mo Sabri first rose to prominence at a local level after the online release of his song "Johnson City, Tennessee". He started to tour nationally and internationally while releasing more songs on his YouTube channel and continued to gain popularity worldwide. He is best known for his viral interfaith song, "I Believe in Jesus", which has received over a million views[3] and features the Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten[5] and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Daniel Norris.[2] Several of Sabri's videos on YouTube feature cameos by celebrities and politicians including Congressman Phil Roe, comedian Aziz Ansari,[9] and rapper B.o.B..[9]

Mo Sabri was a headlining artist at the BBC-sponsored 2011 Cardiff Mela festival in Cardiff, Wales.[10][11]

Sabri has been featured in national and international press including Huffington Post, The Washington Post, BBC, GEO TV, and Voice of America.[3][8][10][11][12][13]

Musical Style

Mo Sabri's music falls into the alternative hip hop genre.[1] His lyrics touch on subjects such as love, society, personal struggles, religion, and it has been said that his music "transcends politics and religion".[5] Some of his songs are considered to be Islamic "nasheeds", which are songs that carry an underlying message of faith.[3] Several of his songs have South Asian (also known as "Desi") instrumental influences.[6]

Discography

Mo Sabri's debut album, The Overnight Classic, was released in January 2012 and was one of the top five highest-selling albums on the iTunes World chart [5] for its first week.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bob Smietana. "Muslim Music For A New Generation: Who Says Hip-Hop Can't Be Islamic?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 July 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jennifer Sprouse. "Local Muslim artist brings peace message in new song". Johnson City Press. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bob Smietana. "Young Muslim musicians marry faith, hip-hop, rock 'n' roll". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rex Barber. "Local Musician to attend National Prayer Breakfast in D.C". Johnson City Press. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Alysia Madan. "Opening Minds and Defying Stereotypes: Mo Sabri's Pursuit of Cultural and Musical Harmony". Aslan Media. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Zaynah Rashid. "DH! Interview: Mo Sabri is the 'Overnight Classic'". DesiHits!. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  7. ↑ Zaynah Rashid. "Mo Sabri Represents 'Johnson City, Tennessee'". DesiHits!. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Carl Medearis. "Muslims Who Follow Jesus". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 July 2013. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Zaynah Rashid. "Mo Sabri is Feeling the 'Love'". DesiHits!. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Cardiff Multicultural Mela Introduction". BBC Wales Music. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 BBC Asian Network. "A Summer of Melas". BBC Asian Network. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  12. ↑ "Biography". MuslimFest. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  13. ↑ Jerome Socolovsky. "Muslim Rapper Offers Virtuous Alternative to Mainstream Music". Voice of America. Retrieved 5 November 2013. 

External links

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