Mustafa Mohamed Ismail, professionally known by his stage name, Freek, is a
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...
-based Somali
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
, singer, music director and record producer. He is noted as one of the contributors to the Arabic drill rap music genre and in particular, to the GCC's
underground music
Underground music is music with practices perceived as outside, or somehow opposed to, Popular music, mainstream popular music culture. Underground styles lack the commercial success of popular music movements, and may involve the use of avant-g ...
scene.
Personal life
Freek was born and raised in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
to Somali parents who migrated to the UAE in the 1970s.
Career
Freek's career as a musician began with Alonzo's track titled ''Batali'' released in 2014 and his first single ''Aslan 3adi'' was released in 2015. His 2019 single, ''Wala Kilma,'' was used in a 2019
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
marketing campaign featuring popular football player,
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly (, ; born 15 June 1992), also known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a right winger or Forward (association football), forward for club Liverpool F.C., L ...
. ''Wala Kilma,'' which was listed on
Link Up TV
Link Up TV is a music promotional platform based in London, United Kingdom. It has the second largest rap-based promotional YouTube channel in the United Kingdom after GRM Daily with over 11,111 videos uploaded, 1.7 million subscribers and 1.6 ...
, was later remixed with British rappers Eyez and Young Tribez. The record landed Freek his debut performance in London and
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
in December 2019. This later paved the way to a series of performances in the UAE, including being the opening act for Sole DXB,
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event. The first race took place on 1 November 2009, held at the Hermann Tilke-designed Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The ...
and
Expo 2020
Expo 2020 () was a World Expo hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Ara ...
. Other musicians headlining the aforementioned events included
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...
,
Gucci Mane
Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...
and the
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...
.
In 2020, Freek was written about and praised extensively by Kuwaiti writer
Mona Kareem
Mona Kareem (; born 1987) is an Arab-American writer, translator, and literary scholar, as well as an advocate for migrant rights. Born in Kuwait to a stateless, or Bedoon, family, the theme of statelessness is prevalent in her literary work.
E ...
. In her article, she claims "Freek comes as one of the first Gulf rappers to have taken it to the hit-making level, expanding Arabic hip hop beyond conscious rap and YouTube niche", though no data was provided to contextualize or substantiate her claims. In 2021 Freek was featured on the
Charlie Sloth
Charlie Ian Paul Rouillon (born 20 August 1981), known professionally as Charlie Sloth, is a British DJ, hype man, producer and TV presenter.
Early life and on the Virgin Radio Dubai's ''Regional Artist Spotlight'' in 2022, both of which are programs covering budding underground artists in the UAE's hip hop scene. That same year, Freek's first studio-recorded album titled "150" was released.