ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: “I get him [Xzibit] to say Pakistan, I wear a Kurta in the video and what do I get, people treat us like shit,” said Adil Omar talking about his song “Off the handle” with Xzibit. Adil Omar is a rising hip hop musician.
At 20, Adil can claim international collaboration and local. He is planning to release his album “The Mushroom Cloud Effect” in 2012. Talal is also working on his own album. The two friends Adil and Talal are young and accomplished. Adil is a high school dropout while Talal did not go beyond his A Levels.
They are global in their approach looking towards international audiences for reception to their choice of genres which are not often received well. Talal narrates how often he receives the “What is this garbage?” reaction to his music mixes.
Adil explains that what he experiences are two extreme reactions to him, love or hate. His song “Paki Rambo” got heat for using the term 'Paki' and he has also been criticized for the kind of music videos he's making. But he is not paying attention to those who are not open to possibilities; he just wants to cater to his target audience.
Not unexpectedly then, both Adil and Talal are extensively using the internet to distribute their work as globally as they can. They both say that they are being experimental and pushing the boundaries of what has been done both internationally and especially in Pakistan. For Talal the stress is on expanding boundaries of technical prowess in music production, be it in electronic, dub step or other mediums.
At their concert on Saturday, a 19 year old in the audience stands smoking as he concentrates on the music. I ask him how he likes it, he gives it his approval. He is happy with Adil's efforts, but he is not exceptionally impressed.
Adil's lyrics are not particularly ideological or political. Adil says his focus is on being authentic, “I have never rapped about being poor or black or a drug dealer,” which he is not, “and I don't wear baggy clothes,” he continues. He says the only consistent message in his lyrics is to be individual and to be authentic.
Even though at the beginning of their careers, the two boundary pushers have already acquired a dislike of narrow-minded audience, the attitude of being unforgiving of journalistic misrepresentations and a harsh judgment of those who fail to deliver. Only their albums will now tell if their work will be worthy of such attitudes.