Music has always been a universal language that captures the hearts and soul of people across the world. Whether its classical music or hip hop, it builds bridges between people of different back grounds and brings different cultures closers to one another. The Jeddah community had a rare opportunity to experience for the first time a joint performance by German hip hop artist Max Herre, and famous Saudi Arabian Hip hop artist Qusai a.k.a Don Legend The Kameleon at the German consul general’s residence in Jeddah last Wednesday.
The event was a unique display of cross-cultural exchange in music, featuring outstanding German hip hop artist Max Herre, the Famous Saudi Arabian Hip Hop artist Qusai and talented local hip hop groups, J-FAM and Run Junction.
The artists enthralled the audience with collaboration performances such as “From Berlin to Jeddah”, a special feature produced jointly by Herre, Qusai and Jeddah FAM, during a three day workshop which preceded “The Jeddah Hip Hop Jam”.
Herre and his DJ/producer Samon Kawamura are pioneers in German hip-hop music, with legendary 18 years in the industry.
When asked about his music, Herre said, “I produce all types of different music genres such as reggae, soul, funk, indie and jazz. But mainly my music finds its roots in hip hop and rap. At first my interest in music was merely a hobby, however gradually my passion turned into a profession. I love my music and acknowledge that it has transformed my life”.
He further elaborated that he was a big fan of all kinds of music. In the beginning he established the band “circle of friends” with a group of musicians and at the same time proceeded with a solo career and also produced music for other singers.
Herre participated in number of concerts mainly in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and other German speaking countries, as he sings and raps in German. He produced six albums and performed in 60 shows last year alone. Regarding his first-time to the Kingdom, Herre said, ”We don’t travel outside Germany much, so this was a great opportunity for us to show people in Saudi Arabia our music. It has been a great experience; we met lovely people and many talented Saudi musicians. Our 3-day workshop was especially interesting to us, as it gave us the chance to interact with the youth and allowed us to collaborate with Saudi Arabian artists.”
Commenting on Saudi musicians, Herre expressed his excitement and delight to witness firsthand the high quality and energy of these artists.
“Since Arab Spring, the world has been watching the region closely. There are many talented emerging artists in the Arab world and we would love to take part in more cultural exchange programs with other musicians from this region.”
Qusai enthralled the audience with his invigorating performance. He presented “ The Wedding and the Job, I still love her, Father and Eve, Change and Salam.
The other performers of the evening were Jeddah FAM; they performed “ Smile, Jeddah Love, and Run Junction Dollars and Cents”.
Speaking on behalf of J-FAM, Zain expressed his appreciation to Universal Legends for giving them an excellent platform and show their talent.
Anwar Idriss from Universal Legends entertainment said this was a moment in history in Saudi music, as it was the first time a German Hip Hop artist performed alongside a Saudi Hip Hop artist in a joint performance.
Meanwhile Haithum Hifny, a local DJ said, “This is the first time we participate in such an event, involving artists from other countries. This was a great occasion for us, as Saudi artists, to show the world that we have many talented musicians. A decade ago, such opportunities were not available for us, but trends and mindsets are changing in the kingdom and we now have many break-through artists.”
Ulrich Maier, deputy head of the German mission, welcomed the guests on behalf of the German Consul General , Rolf Theodor Schuster and introduced the artists.
Maier said the objective of the event was to bring together aficionados of music from Saudi Arabia and Germany, to expand the scope of cultural exchange between the two countries.
