| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Wissam Khodur |
| Profession | Rapper |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5' 8" (173 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Bald |
| Career | |
| Debut | Music Album: The Mammoth Tusk (2009) |
| Personal Life | |
| Birthplace | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Nationality | Lebanese, Syrian |
| College/University | American University of Beirut, Lebanon |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor of Arts (1995-2001) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Social Media | • Instagram • YouTube |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Family | |
| Children | 3 |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Eslam Jawaad
- Eslam started writing music at the age of 13.
- Eslam’s most lasting inspiration is his grandfather, who was a Syrian revolutionary during the French colonial days.
- To pursue a career in hip hop, Eslam shifted to the United Kingdom in 2003. He studied Arabic history at the university before pursuing music.
- Before moving to London, Eslam was a member of, hmm, the Lebanese Mafia. He once revealed in an interview that he had once messed up a deal of a Siberian mammoth tusk, which was valued at eight million dollars, following which, he shifted to London. He also shared his journey as a member of the mafia in an interview in which he said,
At times I felt like, ‘Dude, this guy could just shoot me. He did want me to become his main distributor in Beirut for heroin. A position I turned down because, ironically, I was opposed to hard drugs. I was more interested in other areas, like counterfeit money – or mammoth tusks…”
- Eslam was involved in the tusk smuggling from a Siberian excavation, via thieving Russian mobsters and a Dubai businessman, to the Syrians who approached him to finally dispose of it for a $100,000 cut he secretly arranged to increase by $1.5m. He shared this story in his title track, The Mammoth Tusk.
- In London, Eslam was initially helped by Damon Albarn, De La Soul and the Wu-Tang Clan, all of whom were present in his debut album, The Mammoth Tusk (2009).
- Eslam went on his first international tour with Wu-Tang Killa Beez. It was this that led to his collaboration with RZA and GZA on his song, So Real.
- Eslam has been living in the UAE since 2011.
- Eslam was once searched by police three times in a single day. He, in an interview, said that the third time, he was caught by six policemen who smashed him on the ground and handcuffed him and also racially insulted him.
- Eslam is a founding member of the Arap, an Arab hip-hop collective which consisted of himself, Mohalim, Cilvaringz, Ledr P, and Shadia Mansour.
- Eslam founded an artist collective known as ARXP Cartel in 2022. The purpose of making it was to bring together artists from across the MENA region and create opportunities for local and international collaborations.
Eslam Jawaad (left) on the poster of ARXP Cartel
- Eslam has worked at Spotify as Head of Artist & Label Partnerships across the Middle East and North Africa. He was earlier working as executive director for Global Gumbo Group, an LA and Dubai-based company.
