Biography
There are at least two artists named Hakim.
The first, and by far the more famous, Hakim was born in Maghagha, a small town in Al Minya, Egypt, in 1962. Hakim grew up with the sound of working-class tradition of Sha'bi; the root of southern Egyptian. He became influenced by the great Sha'bi singer Ahmed Adaweyah, Hakim began practicing Mawals, the vocal improvisations which begin a traditional Sha'bi song.
His break came when he met producer Hamid El-Shaeri, and signed a deal with Sonar Ltd./Slam Records. With El-Shaeri at the board, Hakim entered the studio to make his first album, “Nazra” (1991).
The album was among the top of the charts, and the first pressing of the disc sold out within the first two months. Hakim took the unprecedented step of personally going to DJs and giving them copies of his tape, and his voice boomed from radios and shops all over Cairo.
After the release of his second album “Nar” (1994), Hakim was picked to represent Egypt at the Festival des Allumees in Nantes, France. Two years later a nomination for the Kora Award in the category of Best North African Singer confirmed his regal status (he won the award in 2000).
Hakim sold more than six million records locally and the first of the young Egyptian singers to make any kind of breakthrough internationally.
The second is a rapper hailing from New Orleans, best known as the young brother of former Cash Money rapper B.G., Hakim appeared prominently on his brother's Livin' Legend LP in 2003. Following this, he prepared to release his own LP, but ultimately vanished from the scene. Nonetheless, his EP, Street Poetry, did see release exclusively as a promo.
Despite this limited release, the record has gained some notoriety in underground rap circles, becoming a prized collector's item, and Hakim's unique voice is not to be ignored. His sudden appearance and equally swift disappearance have remained somewhat of a mystery, with conflicting stories of jail sentences and a lack of interest in rap surfacing. It only adds to the mystique of his sole, hard to find record.
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