Inside job

The Narcicyst’s new joint is as
personal as it is political

COMMON THREADS: The Narcicyst (M) and friends

by MORGAN STEIKER

“Initially, it was a joke,” explains Dubai-born, Montreal-based MC the Narcicyst (aka Mirror writer Narcel X, aka Yassin Alsalman) about his rap name, “but I soon realized that it was bigger than me. We live in such a narcissistic world that is very self-involved, and our thoughts are so internal and subjective. The reason I kept the name is because it’s so representative of the human experience.”

Having achieved a Masters in Media Studies, for which he produced the album Fear of an Arab Planet along with a 90-page written companion as his thesis project, the former member of local rap acts Euphrates and Nomadic Massive has made it his duty to best express the Arab experience in the West. But for his first official, self-titled solo project—launching this week at Off the Hook alongside artwork by Sundus Abdul Hadi—the approach has changed a bit.

“My old stuff is heavily political. This new record is a lot more introspective, if you will. It’s a lot more about Yassin than the rest of the world. I’m sharing more of myself than how I feel about things.”

However, certain joints on the new album, including P.H.A.T.W.A.—for which there is already a video out and an accompanying short film by Hala Alsalman—still carry the torch of Narcy’s worldly opinions. The video shows him rapping in an interrogation room while political prisoners are dancing behind him with bags on their heads.

“I think that the identity crisis of being disassociated with the way society works and the sense of belonging is something that we all share, even if your background is different from mine. That’s a common thread throughout my album. Feeling comfortable in your own skin but uncomfortable on the outside of your skin.”

Today, everybody can testify to the essential tool of communication that hip hop has become, including the Narcicyst. “One of the most rewarding things is to find people trapped in their ignorance, enlighten them in a different way and make them think of something they would’ve never thought of otherwise.”

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