Adil Omar

Adil Omar
Birth name Adil Omar
Born (1991-05-17) 17 May 1991
Origin Islamabad, Pakistan
Genres Hip-Hop, alternative hip hop, Experimental hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, singer-songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, lyrics, rapping, production
Years active 2008–Present
Associated acts Saturday Night Killing Machine, Talal Qureshi, Diplo, Elliphant, Bun B, B-Real, Cypress Hill, Soul Assassins
Website Twitter Account

Adil Omar (born 17 May 1991), is a Pakistani rapper, singer-songwriter and producer from Islamabad. In addition to being a solo artist, he is also one half of the duo Saturday Night Killing Machine with Talal Qureshi.

Biography and early life

Omar was born on 17 May 1991 in London, England but spent his entire childhood growing up in Islamabad. He lost his father at 10 to alcoholism and his mother suffered from amnesia, leaving her with epilepsy the same year.[1] His great grandfather, Zafar Omar is credited to be the first Urdu crime and detective novelist with his book "Neeli Chathri" (blue umbrella).[2] He dropped out of school at 17 to pursue a career in music.[3]

Music career

Career beginnings

Omar had started writing lyrics at the age of 9 and began recording by 14. In 2008, when Omar was 16, he found himself catching the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill through Myspace who invited him to visit Los Angeles, helping launch his music career.[4]

Between 2010 - 2012, Omar put together The Mushroom Cloud Effect, a street album consisting of compiled tracks and demos. The most notable song was "Paki Rambo".[5][6][7] In 2012 he was nominated in Pakistan's Lux Style Awards for Best Emerging Talent as well as getting "Paki Rambo" directors Shahbaz Shigri and Aisha Linnea recognized for Best Music Video.[8][9][10]

2013 – 2015

In 2013, Omar was commissioned to write and perform Burka Avenger's "Lady In Black" theme song.[11][12][13]

In early 2014, Omar and Talal Qureshi joined Pakistani comedian and MC Ali Gul Pir for a guest spot on#KholoBC, inspired by an effort by Pakistan For All to get the Pakistani authorities to lift the country's ban on YouTube. Upon its release, #KholoBC went viral in Pakistan and gained international coverage from BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera. This was followed by "Exploding Heart".[14][15][16]

In March 2015, Omar released an EP with Talal Qureshi titled Saturday Night Killing Machine which came out with Omar's directorial debut for "Nighat & Paras" and followed by his first showcase at SXSW, marking the birth of Saturday Night Killing Machine.[17][18]

2016 present

Having officially formed Saturday Night Killing Machine, Omar and Qureshi collaborated and performed alongside Diplo and Elliphant for their first ever Pakistan show. This was followed by the duo's second appearance at SXSW and Omar's solo EP Margalla King. In addition to Saturday Night Killing Machine's production debut for a solo artist's project, the EP also featured "Wedding Shells" in collaboration with Bun B.[19][20][21]

Personal life

Omar was born with sound-color synesthesia, a neurological condition in which the person afflicted "sees" colors when a tone is sounded.[22][23]

Discography

Solo

With Saturday Night Killing Machine

References

  1. "Rapper breaks new ground in conservative Pakistan". Yahoo News Philippines. 1 November 2011.
  2. "Full Text Of "A Cultural History of India"". Archive.org. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  3. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-15486039
  4. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article24732724.html
  5. "INSTEP Magazine".
  6. "Adil Omar: Paki Rambo, uncut".
  7. "In conversation with Adil Omar, hip-hop’s ‘Paki Rambo’".
  8. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\05\12\story_12-5-2012_pg9_8
  9. "Talking Mushroom Clouds with Adil Omar".
  10. Jinjoo Lee, CNN (6 August 2013). "Pakistani artists challenging YouTube ban". CNN.
  11. "Pakistan's new hero Burka Avenger". Yahoo News. 24 July 2013.
  12. "Burka Avenger: Pakistan's cartoon superhero battling for girls' education". the Guardian.
  13. "Here's the Pakistani Rapper Adil Omar's Video for "Saza"". NOISEY.
  14. "‘We want to be global citizens’: Pakistani rapper Adil Omar on YouTube ban".
  15. "Viral video reignites fight to end Pakistan's YouTube ban". Viral video reignites fight to end Pakistan's YouTube ban.
  16. CNN. "CNN Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com". CNN Video.
  17. http://www.mtviggy.com/videos/adil-omar-talal-qureshi-nighat-and-paras/
  18. http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_MS29418
  19. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1055778/islamabad-raises-hands-for-dj-diplo/
  20. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1075655/from-paki-rambo-to-margalla-king/
  21. http://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/instep-today/107183-SXSW-2016-Artists-from-Pakistan-shine
  22. http://synesthesia-test.com/people-with-synesthesiahttp://synesthesia-test.com/people-with-synesthesia
  23. http://tribune.com.pk/story/616258/hottie-of-the-week-adil-omar/

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.