The regional rap phenomenon The Narcicyst will be heard by millions more ears with a tune featured on the soundtrack to Furious 7.
The idiosyncratic talent's 2009 single Hamdulillah, featuring the rapper Shadia Mansour, appears as part of the new Hollywood blockbuster, large chunks of which were filmed in Abu Dhabi.
The English and Arabic language track can be heard clearly when the team make their way towards a garage in Mussafah, and is bumped in between tunes by the likes of David Guetta, Iggy Azalea and Kid Ink.
However The Narcycist’s contribution doesn’t appear as part of the official soundtrack album.
The UAE-based talent shared the news on Instagram with the message: “Shout out to the team @sandhillmusic @shadiamansour @tunecore. Just got announced we got a major sync placement in #Furious7. Artists, stay independent and work with your people. Don’t look for instant gratification. Every break will lead you to the next #WATM go watch the movie in theatres as of today!”
Music distribution service TuneCore announced on Twitter that they had “placed” the tune, suggesting the movie’s producers didn’t deal with The Narcicyst directly.
Fans congratulated the Iraqi-born Canadian rapper online.
Andrei Daniel iclean said: “Congrats! When I went to the movie and I heard the song I was like ‘Wow that’s Shadia and Narcy!’”
Manuel Jose Nivia Obando added: “I recognised it when I heard it. I knew it was your track!”
Featured British-Palestinian MC Shadia Mansour has been dubbed “the first lady of Arabic hip-hop”.
On Friday, April 3, the day Furious 7 was released in the UAE, The Narcicyst performed the tune to an enthusiastic crowd at the Meet d3 festival in Dubai Design District, but made no mention of its role in the movie.
“People often ask me why I call myself The Narcicyst,” he instead joked to the crowd. “It’s because I’m the best.”
rgarratt@thenational.ae
