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Adil Omar

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Adil Omar
عادل عمر
Born (1991-05-17) 17 May 1991 (age 33)
London, England
OriginIslamabad, Pakistan
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2004–present
Websiteadilomar.com

Adil Omar[1] (born 17 May 1991) is a Pakistani rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and filmmaker from Islamabad. In addition to being a solo artist, he is also involved in songwriting and production for other artists.

Biography and early life

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Omar was born in London, England, but grew up in Islamabad. He lost his father at the age of 10 due to alcoholism and saved his mother's life at 11. In 1998, Omar's father was falsely imprisoned which was revealed in a series of prison letters posted to Omar's social media.[2] He had a stutter which he learned to manage through rapping. He was in and out of multiple schools and eventually dropped out at 17 to pursue a career in music.[3][4][5]

Music career

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Career beginnings

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Omar was raised on Pink Floyd and other classic rock from birth and got introduced to hip-hop at age 5 with Tupac Shakur. He was then inspired by Dr. Dre to become a hip hop artist at the age of 8 after watching "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" then started writing lyrics and rapping at the age of 9 after listening to Wu-Tang Clan's The W album. He began recording and producing music by 13. In 2008, Omar caught the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill who invited him to visit Los Angeles, helping launch his music career.[6]

Between 2010 and 2012, Omar put together The Mushroom Cloud Effect, a street album consisting of compiled tracks and unheard demos of Omar's early rapping and non-production work with Soul Assassins affiliated producers such as Fredwreck, DJ Solo and DJ Lethal handling the music. The most notable song was "Paki Rambo".[7][8] This was during press coverage on BBC, CNN, The Associated Press and many other news outlets which brought Omar considerable attention. This was followed by a government-imposed YouTube ban which momentarily affected the distribution and exposure of all independent musicians in the country.[6][9][10][11][12]

2015–2017: Margalla King and SNKM

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In early 2015, Omar formed the songwriting and production duo SNKM which came out with Omar's directorial debut for "Nighat & Paras" and was followed by their first showcase at SXSW.[13][14][15]

In early 2016, SNKM collaborated and performed with Diplo and Elliphant for their first Pakistan show. This was followed by the duo's second appearance at SXSW and Omar's solo EP Margalla King. The EP also featured a collaboration with Bun B.[15][16][17]

Omar and SNKM joined the roster for multiple Mad Decent Block Party 2016 shows alongside Diplo, Kesha, Marshmello, Rae Sremmurd and others. The duo continued performing and touring with Diplo, Major Lazer, Skrillex, Valentino Khan and other artists throughout 2017 up until early 2018 when Omar returned to his solo efforts.[18][19]

2017–2019: Transcendence

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Omar announced in late 2017 that his self-produced debut studio album Transcendence for a 2018 release.[20][21] Transcendence was released as a 10-song visual album on 8 July 2018. The lead single was "We Need to Talk About Adil" and guests on the album included Elliphant, Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Shaman Durek and others. The album also included recreations of 1970s and 1980s era Lollywood soundtracks, but rather than relying on sampling, Omar reached out to some of the original creators such as Ustad Tafu and M. Arshad and hosted live sessions in his home studio in Bisonopolis, Islamabad.[22] The instrumental version of the album was released on 8 October 2018.[23][4][3][24]

2019–present: Mastery

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A track called "Mastery" was released on 7 February 2019.[25] A second single titled "Mission" was released on 28 April 2019 which has been described as a "futuristic song that can’t be put in any one genre".[26] On 30 November 2019, Omar headlined Pepsi's first-ever hip-hop show in Pakistan for Pepsi Black to positive reviews from attendees and reporters for a "surprising, unconventional, and animated" performance.[27]

On 12 January 2020, Omar released "The Great Unraveling" which featured Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio on guitars and a music video set in Jungle World, Rawalpindi to mostly positive reviews.[28][29] Omar released "Alien" on 22 March 2020 which has been described as "(not hiding) from the inner rage that we all can experience from time to time; the alienation or standing at the precipice. Much more importantly, Adil Omar has started showcasing the man he has become and his progression as a singer-songwriter, rapper, lyricist and producer; it’s been a long journey from ‘Paki Rambo’. Adil is building his own narrative, which is not always about him but the world around him and his interpretation of it" while "the adventurous production is what takes the cake."[30][31][32]

Musical style and influences

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Omar has musical and stylistic influences stemming from a wide range of genres such as hip-hop, pop, psychedelic industrial rock, world music, electronica, dance and classical.[24][4]

Personal life

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Omar was born with multiple forms of synesthesia, the most powerful being sound-color, a neurological condition in which the person affected sees colors when tones are sounded. In a 2018 interview, he is quoted to have said "Everything I make and produce is based on how it looks to me. I look at my songs as audio paintings. My production is as visual as it is sonic. I can't comprehend sound as a solely auditory experience. It's an alien concept to me. I guess it's cool seeing every sound I hear but it makes driving distracting. I know how to drive but I generally don't drive because of this."[4][33]

In 2012, Omar was nearly electrocuted to death in the shower, an incident he talks about on Transcendence.[34][35]

Discography

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Albums

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Mixtapes/EPs

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References

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  1. ^ "CARRY ME HOME". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Rapper Adil Omar shares his dad's letters with fans". Samaa TV. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Adil Omar - "We Need to Talk About Adil" | RESPECT". Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Aijaz, Rahul (21 July 2018). "Why we need to talk about Adil Omar". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  5. ^ Abbot, Sebastian (1 November 2011). "Rapper breaks new ground in conservative Pakistan". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Adil Omar - "We Need to Talk About Adil" | RESPECT". Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  7. ^ Butt, Osman Khalid (29 May 2011). "'Off the Handle' is off the wall…". The News International. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  8. ^ Khan, Rayan (3 October 2011). "Adil Omar: Paki Rambo, uncut". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  9. ^ Khan, Laleen (16 October 2011). "In conversation with Adil Omar, hip-hop's 'Paki Rambo'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  10. ^ "LUX Style Awards announces nominations in 26 categories". Daily Times. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012.
  11. ^ Haleem, Anam (9 April 2013). "Talking Mushroom Clouds with Adil Omar". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  12. ^ Lee, Jinjoo (7 August 2013). "Pakistani artists challenging YouTube ban.com". CNN. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  13. ^ "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | MTV". Mtviggy.com. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Adil Omar | SXSW 2015 Event Schedule". Schedule.sxsw.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  15. ^ a b Asghar, Vaqas (30 March 2016). "From 'Paki Rambo' to 'Margalla King' – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Islamabad raises hands for DJ Diplo". The Express Tribune. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  17. ^ "SXSW 2016: Artists from Pakistan shine". The News International. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Adil Omar, Talal Qureshi to perform with Diplo, Kesha at Mad Decent Block Party". The Express Tribune. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Here's what went down at Diplo's Mad Decent Block Party feat. Adil Omar, Talal Qureshi". The Express Tribune. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  20. ^ Shahid, Umnia (22 December 2017). "Diplo to perform in Pakistan next year". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  21. ^ "There is no fear Solo album 'TRANSCENDENCE' in 2018pic.twitter.com/Tqjg37cdkP". Twitter.com. 19 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Adil Omar's debut album 'Transcendence' is a visual treat". The Express Tribune. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  23. ^ @Adil_Omar (8 October 2018). "Transcendence INSTRUMENTALS out now. Produced by Adil Omar" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ a b "Hiphopweekly". Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Adil Omar – "Mastery" (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  26. ^ Sabeeh, Maheen. "Adil Omar releases second single from Mastery". The News International. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Pepsi Black hosts rap event in Lahore". The News International. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  28. ^ Sabeeh, Maheen. "Adil Omar unveils 'The Great Unraveling'". Thenews.com.pk.
  29. ^ Baji, Band (19 January 2020). "SOUNDCHECK: PARKS AND RECREATION". Dawn. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  30. ^ Sabeeh, Maheen (5 April 2020). "Adil Omar returns with fourth single from Mastery | Instep | thenews.com.pk". The News International. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Adil Omar on Twitter: "I've officially pushed the release of Mastery to next year instead of this year for your love and patience, I'll be giving you the most killer DOUBLE ALBUM since All Eyez on Me"". Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Adil Omar on Twitter: "The only song that will remain as is on Mastery is "The Great Unraveling" All other songs I've released so far from the album, are not on the album itself at least not the versions you're getting familiar with now This is an interactive real time experience"". Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  33. ^ Syed, Madeeha (3 March 2019). "SOUNDSCAPE: FROM THE HEART". Dawn. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  34. ^ Sabeeh, Maheen (24 March 2019). "Transcending to Mastery | Instep | thenews.com.pk". The News International. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  35. ^ "Adil Omar on Twitter: "#TranscendenceTurns2 Written, produced, performed (& directed) by Adil Omar Full Length film. Album & Instrumentals available on all platforms…"". Twitter. 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
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