Music has got its various forms with different genres infused on into it. Traditional music had just one genre hitting the charts depending on the country it originated from. In the eighties it was rock and pop that ruled the music industry, and after a period of time in the new millennium it turned to R&b and hip-hop. However, today, music has seen an evolution with infusions and the rise of Afro beats has been dominating the airwaves and the club scenes around the world.
The music artist who occupies today’s page is none other than an artist who has songs with an overall mixing of two different genres. SAL is a Singer, Songwriter, and Music Producer having a hold on Afro-Arab music. His real name is Salim Rashaad who himself is an African of Arab origin. He was born in Kenya and grew up in Dubai where he currently calls it home.
The Blend of Music
Afro-Arabs are the occupants of the established communities mainly the Sudanese, Emiratis, Yemenis, Saudis, Omanis, Algerians, Egyptians, and Moroccans. Afro-music is popular within West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. While Arabic music mainly includes secular art musical genres. Some of them are maqam al-iraqi, fijiri songs, qasidah, layali, tahmilah, dulab, sawt, and liwa. Arabic music originated in Cairo with Beirut and Lebanon as the secondary centers of development. Unlike western music influences, Arabic music has uniqueness in its tones. The quarter tones in it construct the rhythmic structures and it soothes our ears more than any form of music. The texture of both Afro and Arabic genre songs seems to be pleasant and blends heavily. One must be a great composer to understand and infuse both these genres and without a flaw, SAL has efficiently been able to master the technique of blending both worlds.
About the Artist
SAL the Artist has the unique talent to spin this new genre in a blend that gets any listener hooked. A singer, songwriter and music producer, SAL attained the position worldwide quite soon with his work in music compositions. His unique contributions brought him the honor to be the Jury at the World Talent Hunt, Dubai, 2023 as one of the judges for the show in the Grand Finale. He was also featured on the world renowned TV program “The Insider” which features A-list stars in fashion, movies and the music world. The Afro Arab Beats expert has his new track, Ya Salaam out now for his listeners and reached over a one million in less than a month. He has all of his song releases through his own production house, Sal Productionz. Not only just audio tracks but he has taken his talent to start directing and editing all his new music video productions. From old school to Afro-Arab, his transitions have covered more than 15 years by now. The master of music blends, SAL has attained media fame and is getting a lot of buzz with a grip over the entire Middle Eastern music industry.
Today, the music master is based in Dubai with his music productions doing impressively well. One of his greatest achievements, we may state is his song, Zola hitting 6 million views and making it a viral all-time hit. He then followed up with another Banger with Malu which broke the Sudanese social media record by being the first song to have more than a million views of Facebook in less than 24 hours. The immense love and support he has from his people are beyond any explanation. Attending several festival arenas and getting the love poured upon him is what a true artist would ultimately receive. He has collaborated with many A-list artists both locally and internationally and continues to raise the flag for the home grown talent and raising the bar for the music industry. The future can only be bright for such artists like SAL as he continues to evolve and adapt his music to what the listeners and the market wants.