Outlandish

Outlandish is a Danish hip-hop group with an international touch. Formed in 1997, it consists of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Moroccan background), Waqas Ali Qadri (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and Lenny Martinez (born in Honduras). All three members are religious, with Isam and Waqas being devout Muslims, and Lenny being a catholic. Their R&B/Hip-hop/Rap/soul music takes influences from their various backgrounds (Arab, Pakistani, and Latin music), and although their songs are primarily in English, they usually feature lyrics in Spanish, Urdu, Arabic, and Danish. All these influences make the music of Outlandish somewhat unique and this is easy to notice from the variety of genres covered in their albums. Outlandish often include themes about Islam and contemporary issues facing young Muslims in the west in their music, and sometimes their songs define a nasheed-like unique genre. So far they have produced four albums: Outland's Official (2000), Bread & Barrels of Water (2003), Beats, Rhymes & Life (2004) and Closer Than Veins (2005).