Outlandish is a Danish hip hop group. The team was created in 1997 by three guys: Isam Bakiri, Vakas Kuadri and Lenny Martinez. Multicultural music became a real breath of fresh air in Europe back then.
Outlandish style
The trio from Denmark create hip-hop music, adding musical themes from different genres to it. The songs of the group Outlandish combine Arabic pop music, Indian motives and Latin American style.
Young guys wrote texts in four languages at once (English, Spanish, Arabic and Urdu).
Development of the Outlandish band
In the early 2000s, old friends who have been playing football in the yard all their lives decided to start a joint group. The fashion for hip-hop and breakdance, during which the members of the group grew up, pushed them to creative searches in this style. Listening to rap, the guys found a response to their problems in music.
They realized that they wanted not only to listen, but also to speak about how they felt. Having traveled a long way together, the friends considered themselves true brothers. They called the creation of the group a family affair.
The name for the team was not chosen by chance. Outlandish was translated as "foreign". This word seemed to the guys suitable for a group consisting of immigrant children from three countries.
Isam Bakiri's grandparents moved from Morocco to Denmark. The family of Lenny Martinez ended up in a northern country, having emigrated from Honduras.
Wakas Quadri's parents left Pakistan for a better life for their children in Copenhagen. All families lived in the Brondley Strand area.
While working on their first song, the guys were inspired by American hip-hop. The basis of this style allowed friends to create a new sound, bringing their fantasies to life.
The first step on the road to successful music creation was drawing your own rhythmic pattern.
The guys added acoustic fragments to the song, which were taken from different cultures. Later, unusual sounds from Spanish songs appeared in their songs.
Group hits
Long work helped the group Outlandish to create a new subspecies of hip-hop, different from the typical sound that is used to in Denmark. The band's first official single appeared in 1997. The song was called Pacific to Pacific.
The next hit Saturday Night was released a year later. The song was even used as background music in the Scandinavian movie Pizza King.
In 2000, hip-hoppers presented the album Outland's Official. Unexpectedly for the musicians themselves, he made a huge sensation in Denmark, appealing to both young people and the older generation. The group became a national star.
In their songs, they touched on such eternal themes as love, self-confidence, injustice in society, etc. The lyrics very quickly found a response in the hearts of the listeners, and the unusual melody conquered with its strangeness.
The group Outlandish almost from the threshold was on Olympus. The group was nominated in six categories at once, including the Danish Music Awards.
The gold figurine, awarded for winning the hip-hop category, the guys staged a "tour" of their homes. The award spent several days in each family so that everyone could fully enjoy the success.
The prize remained at the home of Cuadri, whose mother found the figurine obscenely nude and dressed it up in a doll dress.
With their second album, the band set the bar higher for themselves. In one of the interviews, the guys said that while working on the first album, they had more free time.
In the new collection, friends wanted to sing about more serious problems than unrequited teenage love.
This time they were interested in questions of faith, family relations and culture. Outlandish's new songs covered themes of trust, devotion, tradition and God.
The album premiered in 2003. The video clips filmed for the songs of Aicha and Guantanamo turned out to be the top 10 most popular songs. And the song Aicha received an award in the nomination "Best Video Accompaniment".
The guys did not want to change the consciousness of the population or be moral teachers. In their texts, they reflected the inner pain and feelings that tormented them for their people and culture. They tried to give hope and support to those listeners who have similar feelings and similar mindsets.
The autumn of 2004 became the finest hour for the group. Outlandish has been awarded the highest Danish award, the Nordic Music Award. The winners were chosen by listeners throughout the month, voting for their favorite group.
It was a big surprise for the performers. In an interview, they noted that they did not even think that they would be voted for.
Work on the third album was more painstakingly. Lenny, Wakas and Isam practically did not leave the studio, creating new songs. In 2005, the compilation Closer Than Veins appeared, consisting of 15 songs.
The "fans" had to wait four years for the next compositions. The band released their fourth album, Soundof a Rebel, in autumn 2009.
The group failed to repeat the success that was achieved in 2002. Chaos broke out in the team. Outlandish disbanded in 2017 due to disagreements over the future of the band.
Each of the participants took up individual projects. Solo songs of friends are very popular in Scandinavia.
