Politicised, not political: Yassin Al Salman

He is known for his politically charged lyrics but rapper, hip-hop artist, poet, actor and now author Yassin Al Salman, more popularly known as The Narcicyst, says he is first and foremost a musician. Politics, he insists, is something his music inevitably becomes associated with, thanks to his lineage.

"I am not a political artist, but a politicised person," he says. "As Arabs, our experiences are very politicised. The profiling... the stereotyping... the perception that all that's going on is solely our fault... I won't deny politics has influenced my music, but it is not political.

"Politics divides people, but music brings people together," he adds.

Returning to the city he grew up in, the Montreal-based artist will be performing at a free event in Abu Dhabi on Friday as part of the Yas Island Show Weekend.

"I'll be on stage with two other artists, Meryem Saci and Nantali Indongo, with whom I've been touring Europe for a few weeks now. There will be a lot of hip-hop and some great music. It's going to be a fun show," he says.

Born in Dubai to Iraqi parents and growing up in the capital before moving to Canada, Narcy, as he is also called, says that while it's easy to piggyback on his Arab identity, it's not always something he likes to wear on his sleeve.

"I am not an Arab MC, I am an MC that is Arab. It's a big part of me and has always been, ever since I started out, and it's a box that I'm always trying to break," he says.

"A lot of my music isn't about the state of the world more than it is about having a party and having a good time. I do both. I am a human being first and everything else follows."

Short of breath

Having recently released the video to Hamdulillah, a song which featured in the Emirati film City Of Life, in which he made his acclaimed acting debut, Narcy says he currently has his hands full. He's just released a mixtape titled Mr Ashtmatic, free to download on his website iraqisthebomb.com, in which he gives the phrase "being short of breath" a whole new philosophical meaning, and has a number of performances lined up in Dubai and Doha. He's also putting finishing touches to a book, Diatribes Of A Dying Tribe, due for release in January.

"It's about Arab hip-hop and the identity issues that come with it and how we use it to vocalise ourselves," he explains.

As far as his movie career is concerned, he says he is open to doing more films.

"But I refuse to play a terrorist or any kind of Arab stereotype," he says.

Tomorrow's performance, he adds, will be a homecoming of sorts. "I have performed in Dubai but not Abu Dhabi, which I left when I was 18. I still have many friends [there]," he says. "I hope a lot of people turn out. I would have loved to be on the main stage, but you've got to pay your dues, I guess."

Don'tmiss it

The Narcicyst will perform along with Meryem Saci and Nantali Indongo at the Flash Forum on Yas Island Friday from 6pm. Entry is free.