Arabesque (rapper)
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Arabesque, also known as Besque (born Stephen Kawaleet, September 17, 1981), is a
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nominated rapper from
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada. He studied graphic communications management at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). He has signed record deals in the US, Canada, the UK and Japan.


Career

At the age of 16, Arabesque started his career in the music industry as a freelance contributor to various urban publications, interviewing the likes of
Flava Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...
and
A-Trak Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly ...
, and writing featured hip-hop editorials. In 2000, shortly after he and his cousin formed a group, Babylon Point, their demo received acclaim from ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' magazine, sparking interest among underground purists and tape junkies. However, Babylon Point split up shortly afterwards. Besque joined a Toronto-based political soul collective, Revolution Records, on their 45" vinyl release "Sounds of Revolution" headed by the DJ and producer Complex. In mid-2002, Besque released his first solo single to commercial radio with much success. "Choked Up", an ode dedicated to the tragic loss of his high school girlfriend was produced by Sy Wyld and featured vocals by the BBE Music singer Slakah the Beatchild. The single started a number of charting 12" singles. Besque then accepted clothing line sponsorships from the New York company One Serious Threat and, later, from the Los Angeles-based clothing line, Scifen. Arabesque's budding success caught the attention of the British label, Sin Nombre. He signed with the Nottingham-based label for his first full-length release, ''The Frenzy of Renown'', in early 2005, the album being distributed by
Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
. The executive producer was Anonymous Twist from Toronto. Arabesque's first video, for the album ''Bellyache'' (directed by Cazhj) received rotation on Much Music's Rap City, shortly after shooting a video for the single "Stardust" (directed by Marc Andre Debruyne). In February 2007, ''The Frenzy of Renown'' was nominated for a Juno Award in Canada. The awards ceremony was hosted by
Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...
. Tracks from the album including "Mamma Dig Me", "Bellyache" and "Stardust"" entered the charts that year. In June 2006, Arabesque toured the Middle East with the Grammy reggae singer Sean Paul. Later in the year, he toured with
Aceyalone Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr. (born September 30, 1970), better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is ...
from Los Angeles. Besque has opened for
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...
, Little Brother,
Zion I Zion I was an American hip hop project founded by MC and producer Baba Zumbi (real name Stephen Gaines) in Oakland, California. K-Genius and Amp Live were also project members. Career Originally formed as a group, Zion I released the debut ...
,
Dilated Peoples Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song " This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached t ...
and
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...
in shows and festivals. In November 2007, Arabesque joined
Rah Digga Rashia Tashan Fisher (born December 18, 1974), known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, ''Dirty H ...
, on his EP ''Hang Your Heroes'', a melodic album that strikes a good balance between gritty vocals and beats that range from jazzy to soulful to those meant to rock the disco. A single from the EP, "Nature's Phone", entered the urban/dance charts and was played on
BBC 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been c ...
. The video was recorded by the
SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...
winner Drew Lightfoot, with Melanie Durrant and Slakah the Beatchild. ''Hang Your Heroes'' included the songs "Pablo Picasso" (produced by Chunksahoy) and "Marlboro Man". An animation/live action video was made by David Fradkin for "Anna Conda". During September 2008, Yokohama-Cities Yanase Records signed Arabesque. The Japanese label released his ''Last Life in the Universe''.


Discography


References


External links


Arabesque
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:Arabesque 1981 births Living people 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian rappers Alternative hip hop musicians Canadian male rappers Rappers from Toronto