Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette 



JEDDAH — "I’m not asking for people to like me. My music is going to do some damage." Or it can inspire an entire curious generation of undiscovered regional talents.



Unassuming and ambitiously facetious, Skinny has no qualms about being "a rapper/music producer and a pretty dope songwriter too."



They say there is no fire like passion and without passion man would be a mere measure of darkness. And who knows that, better than the man himself.

 

Born in Riyadh, raised in Jeddah, Skinny, also referred to as Saudi’s Lil Wayne, has spent his life living between the Kingdom and Los Angeles.

 

He believes he has always been in a relationship with music and developed love for rap during early school years.



"I always knew music was what I connected with; it's in my blood. I even remember back in high school I used to always write funny rhymes about the teacher, which my classmates would laugh at and it just made me feel cool.



And that is when I knew rapping was what I wanted to do. I have been between Saudi and Los Angeles all my life, but I moved to LA for good after high school."



Like many Hiphop enthusiasts, Skinny fell in love with hiphop when he first heard Tupac. "That’s when I realized how powerful words can be. My school notebooks were usually filled with different raps and rhymes, and I just practiced all the time. I wish I could collaborate with Tupac, Biggie and Bob Marley because they made great music and are a big inspiration to me."



His ultimate dream is to be a respected successful artist. Much to his credit, for those who are quick to judge, he said he wants to be able to open doors for others and in this way give back to life and his people.

Skinny plans to lead by example, when it comes down to him making a difference in the region.



When asked about his vision for the youth and music of the region, he said: "I want the youth to be able to be who they are, I want to inspire young people to follow their dreams. I am going to show them that with faith and hard work they can do anything."



He said rapping is a form of expression. "And how can you express yourself in a place where you are not allowed to say what you want to say."



He said expressing his assessments or his way of life is different in his home country as compared to where he is based currently that undoubtedly moves him away from local social politics and stigma. "I won't be able to look how I look and say what I say." 



He made a poignant point and said that until things change within the region, he does not believe any local artist would be able to reach their full potential. "My advice for aspiring artists in the Saudi region is to never lose hope, keep pushing, keep recording songs and never give up on your dreams. You can be anything you want to be in this world."



Skinny’s bio online is a simple cut map deciphering a young man’s journey to realizing the American dream.



It states: "What could anyone hate about Skinny? Marked by his lofty cadence, crushing beats, moody material and waist-length dreads, rapper Skinny has been honing his craft for over ten years, but he made a name for himself in the industry and also in social media using the hashtag #ihateskinny."



When it comes down to defining his choice of music, he admitted: "I make custom made music."



He produces and writes all his songs. "I create a variety of different sounds and melodies that really reflect my thoughts and feelings."

His favorite rappers are Tupac, Biggie, Kanye West, 50 cent, Snoop, Eminem, Dr Dre, and he added "Skinny."



He said: "I honestly liked music so much I just taught myself how to play the guitar, bass, drums, and my all time favorite — the piano. Saudi music has really cool drums, drum patterns and thus I infused the drums in hiphop."



Talking about his first single, he said: "The response to "Talk 4 Me" has been great so far, it's a blessing. I put my blood, sweat and tears in this; it takes hard work and years of dedication. So the love I've been getting the past few days from Saudi, Los Angeles and around the world has been very overwhelming, I am humbled." 



Skinny is currently working on his new project."I am really excited about it! It’s a roller coaster; its full of ups and downs and it takes you on a ride. I don't have a release date yet but I'm excited to share it with the world. You can check out my website www.ihateskinny.com for updates on my music, upcoming shows and videos. I'm also in the studio producing music for other artists, I got crazy beats!," he said excitedly.



Quick-witted as he is, when asked about his biggest accomplishment till date, the rapper was quick to cease the moment: "Landing a great interview with a respected newspaper such as the Saudi Gazette within days of releasing my music, that's a great accomplishment in my books!"



When asked about his favorite song this year, he answered the cliché with his offbeat tone. "I'm a studio rat, if I'm not working on my own music I'm working on music for someone else, and I don't really like to listen to other stuff when I'm working."



In 2010, Skinny landed an interesting studio session with Timbaland, a dream for many musicians. "Here I was, this random kid, and Timbaland actually called his engineer and uploaded one of my beats to his computer, went into the booth and recorded the song," he said. "That was the moment where I was like 'I can do this.' But I never heard from Timbaland after that."



He said it was Big Ego Entertainment CEO and Aftermath’s former VP of A&R, Mike Lynn, who helped Skinny seal the deal with Warner Chappell. "I’d been pushing myself as a producer, but when Mike heard me rap, he was like 'You need to be artist. So here we are.'"



When asked about his future plans, he said: "I plan on selling out shows around the world."



Check out Skinny's myspace.com/ihateskinny page for a special message and an opportunity to win exciting gifts. "Can't thank my hometown enough for the love and support they've shown. I want all my Saudi Gazette readers to connect with me on Myspace.com today, I have a special message just for you guys! Visit www.myspace.com/ihateskinny today and you might win your very own 'Rich & Immigrant' hat signed by me."