Mazzi & Tac : They Met Once in Dubai and BOOM, An EP is now LIVE!!

EP Artwork (Designed by Tac)

It's surreal to witness this project come to life. I've know the fam "Mazzi" since I launched the blog, way back in '07. We have always remained in contact and throughout my journey, he has ALWAYS showed love and support. Just last year, he was passing by the UAE and we connected and I was telling him about SOLE DXB and he got really intrigued and knowing him, he really fell in love with the idea of being in Dubai and witnessing this Cultural Hip-Hop festival. So, 3 months later, Mazzi made it to SOLE DXB as part of the Def Jam crew that was coming with Dani Leigh.

Last year, I was blessed to have a "Radio Booth" at Sole DXB, I called it "THE BEAT" and it featured 8 Rappers, but when I found out Mazzi was gona make it, I had to add him to the mix and watching all these rappers spit on various beats was a blessing
(Mazzi, Tac, P.Storm & Swerte (The Recipe), Jaysus Zain, Menon, Moh Flow, Freek and Malikah) 

Mazzi, Tac, P.Storm, Swerte, Jaysus Zain, Menon, Moh Flow, Big Hass
(Missing in the pic: Malikah and Freek)
Pic by Hitesh Dewasi

I found myself introducing Mazzi to the community and one of those artists was Tac and to see that they now have a project together makes me super happy. I asked Mazzi how did this whole project see light, this is what he said :- 

"..Stepping into the SOLE DXB cypher, I immediately sensed the immense talent around me! 
Dubai has an array of artists with unique styles! One person who stood out was a this kid Tac! He was young, lyrically gifted, & hungry! 
Soon after, I got a chance to build with him & saw that our styles would definitely compliment each other... That led to us mutually & organically deciding to record an EP on my next trip to Dubai! 
We completed it in two days, & spawned “S.O.U.L. Broke Forever”! 
Hope you guys enjoy it! Looking forward to further collaborations out there! YALLA!"

Tac 

I had to also ask Tac about that collabo and he had this to say: 
"no disrespect to anyone I ever worked with, but there's only a handful of rappers that give me a hard time on a record, and man... Mazzi?? He up there.." adding that when he met Mazzi in that Sole Dxb Cypher, the EP was born then.. 
a YEAR later its a reality and its LIVE!

The project is now ONLINE and you can hear it HERE


What's admirable and amazing is that ALL proceeds/profits from sales go to the Kenya Community Centre For Learning 
which is a special needs school in Nairobi and this is how Mazzi has been releasing every single project/album and it's amazing to see this collaboration with a Dubai-Based Artist. 

I want to thank both artists for collaborating, it is somehow a bridge, Tac is an Egyptian-UAE based rapper and Mazzi is American-Iranian based in NY. Its just beautiful..

I Love it. Show Love and Show Support.
Stream it, Download it. Push it.

Let's go TAZZI ;)

Q&A with Dubai Based Egyptian Rapper Tac !

TAC

Big Hass: First off, how long you been in Dubai and how did you get into Hip-Hop?
Tac: I've been in Dubai for more or less the last 20 years. The story of how I got into Hip-Hop is a very long one, but to make it short and sweet, on December 12, 2012 I wrote and recorded my first song under the supervision of my mentors over Skype. And the biggest battery in my back was that 20 year rap veterans were telling me I could become the best rapper in the world after hearing that first song. And ever since then its been my goal. 

BH: Tell us about the name, TAC?
Tac:The name is hilarious to me till this day because of how it came about; I was 13 and extremely angsty. I called myself
The Anti Christ because I thought I was cool and tough. 
One day one of my friends called out to me saying "Hey Tac!", And I got super confused and asked him what the hell a 'Tac' was. He said, and I quote "N*gga, I ain't about to call you The Anti Christ every time I wanna talk to you." And ever since then, the name stuck. It no longer stands for The Anti Christ. It's just Tac now. Also a big pet peeve is when people spell is in all caps like TAC. It's actually just Tac. But I understand why people make the assumption that it stands for something so I don't mind. 

BH: As an Egyptian Rapper, did it ever cross your mind to rap in Arabic?
Tac: Never in my life will I ever rap in Arabic. I can barely even speak it, let alone come up with rhymes that don't sound like 3 year old nursery rhymes. 

BH: Tell us about your collaboration with MENON, The Recipe on the remix track of "Regula", how did that come about?
Tac: That collabo was amazing. And it came to me at just the right time. Bless Menon for that, really. I had just landed in Dubai after battling some issues in Egypt and not being able to leave the country. And my inspiration was completely gone. He called me literally the day I landed and told me about the track, and I was like "YES, PLEASE YES!" It really put me back onto my grind. Especially because a song with Menon was long overdue, and to make it even better The Recipe are on it, Frankly I lost my sh*t. I can say with confidence that that song has the best rappers in the middle east region on one FIRE track. 


BH: Who are some of the rappers that you listen to internationally/locally?
Tac : Oh man. HASS will know this because of his Madvillainy shirt but I am a HUGE fan of MF DOOM. I listen to Kendrick, Milo, Death Grips, Jay-Z etc.. I have a very awkward taste in music. 
As for local artists, The Recipe, Menon, KC Hamada, JustNishan, Coat of Arms, Shebani, Abri, Laura Lopez and honestly there are so much more that I appreciate, but those are the ones I listen to the most. 

MF DOOM 

BH: When you dropping your next single?
Tac : My next single will be dropping sometime in mid-late November. I have a very special feature on there, that I am very excited for people to hear. 

BH: Tac, what scares you? "if anything"?
Tac: I don't fear ANYTHING on this planet. The only thing that scares me is losing my voice. It's the only thing I can count on. Anything that would stop me from being able to rap and make music will completely destroy me. 


BH: Any Last words..
Tac: I am not in this for a short time. Or a good time. I will spend at least 30 years on the throne when I pop.

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