If ever there was a case of life imitating art, it has to be the case of kickboxing bad boy Badr Hari.
Usually rappers talk a big game then turn out to be more bark than bite. There have been several instances of rappers finding themselves facing criminal charges after they’ve gotten into situations due to trying to create or maintain some credibility.
Hari has taken the opposite route. Having recently left the jailhouse, where he was being held as a result of allegedly spending years battering all and sundry as a violence-prone denizen of the Amsterdam nightlife scene, Hari has now turned his hand to a bit of gangster rap.
The song Kampion – ‘Champion’ in English – is a collaboration with Rachid El Ghazoui aka Appa, one of the leading Dutch-language MC’s on the European scene. Amsterdam-born, he is like Hari of Dutch heritage.
Appa, who also made the Badr Hari theme tune a few years ago, is known for the political content of his lyrics and criticism of nationalist MP Geert Wilders. He “strongly identifies with the social problems of Moroccan youths” in Holland and released his first album – ‘Straatfilosoof’ (‘Street Philosopher’) – in November 2007.
However, this particular track appears to be just a straightforward tribute to Hari. The heavyweight is back in training and has a clash with Zabit Samedov coming up. But is he also working his mic skills and trying his hand in the rap game…?
