Bio

Born in California and raised between working class Detroit and the constantly evolving political and cultural landscape of Oakland, Palestinian producer, multi-instrumentalist and MC Tarik “Excentrik” Kazaleh is best known for his oud and percussion-driven beats, political vitriol and passionate lyrics. Considered a pioneer of Arab-American Hip-Hop, his diverse discography includes the revolutionary group Arab Summit (alongside Omar Offendum, Narcy and Ragtop), multiple film scores, the experimental Jazz trio The 3 Mohammads, and many more. Excentrik’s 2011 album, Now Here, Nowhere was a multi-genre attempt at diversifying what Arab Hip Hop has been defined as. The record featured Excentrik on nearly every instrument. He produced Naima Shalhoub’s debut studio LP, “Siphr” released August 2020. Longtime collaborators, Naima and Excentrik’s experimental studio chemistry is evident throughout the album with special performances by Marcus Shelby and Ed Baskerville. That project led to the formation of the ShadowBand, an Arabic-Groove quartet which added Chris Trinidad on Bass and Aaron Kierbel on Drums.  Excentrik's latest album, Watani 77 is a 77 minute ode to 77 years of brutal colonization, occupation and Nakba in Palestine.