British DJ Charlie Sloth brings ‘Fire in the Booth’ to Dubai

British DJ and radio host Charlie Sloth is kicking off 2021 with a special series on Dubai, which will thrust local hip-hop acts onto the global scene. The six-part series, which will feature UAE-based musicians such as Freek and Jaysus, kicks off on January 5.

In an unprecedented move, Sloth will bring Arabic rap to his famed show ‘Fire in the Booth’, a long-running freestyle platform, which has highlighted global talent for the past 10 years, from Drake and Stormzy to Pop Smoke and Megan Thee Stallion.

Premiering on January 5 at 8pm Dubai time on Apple Music (and featuring on Sloth’s Rap Show on Apple Music 1), the first part of ‘Fire in the Booth: The Dubai Series’ will feature artists AhmeDoo Biggie, Santo D’Monkey, P. Storm, Adamillion and Tac.

Beginning with a UAE Cypher, filmed in Dubai, it showcases UAE’s finest MCs performing together as one for the first time.

The series is co-curated by NOMAD, a UAE-based, community-driven “platform and incubator for grassroots creative talent within the region.” NOMAD is also gearing up to release a short behind-the-scenes documentary about the artists’ experiences, launching on January 14 on their social media accounts.

“‘Fire in the Booth: The Dubai Series’ represents the beginning of nurturing musical talent within the region, beyond their comfort zones to a bigger global arena — a gap that NOMAD prides in bridging,” said Mohammed Khammas, CEO of Al Ahli Holding Group that launched NOMAD.

Radio host and hip-hop aficionado Big Hass will introduce the session. A special-made beat for the freestyle, meanwhile, comes from the hands of producer and musician Mohammed Rayan Bailouni.

Sloth’s journey into The Dubai Series began in June of last year, when he joined Hass for an Instagram live where he listened and reacted to music from the region. He was visibly impressed and suggested that he wanted to explore the untapped rap talent in the UAE even further.