Author: Sabrina Khan

Danish hip-hop group Outlandish and English singer-songwriter Saif Adam teamed up with Islamic charity Penny Appeal for a five-city fundraising tour starting in West London last Wednesday. Going by the motto, “small change, BIG difference,” Penny Appeal takes donations of all sizes to provide a variety of aid to impoverished people in more than 30 crisis-hit countries worldwide. This tour was aimed at raising money for water projects in Pakistan and Gambia.

Breaking a ten-year hiatus from performing in London with the full band for just this cause, “It’s a beautiful thing and something that we’re proud of being a part of,” Outlandish’s Isam Bachiri said. Hosted by “Citizen Khan” star and comedian Abdullah Afzal, the evening got off to a light-hearted start, albeit with some forgivable inaugural jitters. Opening act Saif Adam followed that with a moving set of Islamic faith-based songs that showcased his emerging talent. The lyrics from his tender cover of American artist Tori Kelly’s, “Fill a heart,” encompassed the spirit of the night: “All it takes is someone stepping forward and making a stand.”

Outlandish definitely leads by that example.

Since forming in Copenhagen in the late 90s, Bachiri (Danish born, Moroccan decent), Waqas Ali Qadri (Danish born, Pakistani decent), and Lenny Martinez (Honduran born, Cuban decent) have created music that speaks to the honesty of the human experience. Singing about love, family, social injustice, political intransigence and the faith that keeps them going and grateful, Outlandish has become a symbol of music with meaning. Spitting rhymes in multiple languages, English, Urdu and Spanish, to name a few, and drumming to the beat of their diverse mix of cultures, blending Islamic and Christian backgrounds together, their words have had the capacity to resonate with audiences the world over, especially among young adults.

When asked how young adults can help resolve the issues plaguing the globe today, namely the current war against Daesh and the spiralling migration crisis, they had simple words of encouragement, but emphasised that they are no more preachers than pilgrims themselves. “First of all, you have to not be indifferent to what’s going on,” Qadri said. He urges individuals, young and old alike, to use whatever their talents may be to “put some spotlight” on these causes.

Bachiri adds that there is something to gain from such projects as well. It’s as if “helping out is helping yourself,” he said, because “you learn a lot from that.” With a message of peaceful coexistence permeating through their music, one wonders if they ever lose hope in that prospect in light of these tragedies.

Martinez views it pragmatically. He believes that wars will always have their consequences, and as long as unfair economic policies exist, these problems will persist. Stressing that they don’t intend to preach in their music, only to express how they feel, he said it’s important to understand that “you can’t solve everything in one day. As long as you have that in mind and not expect anything in return, “you won’t get disappointed.”

Bachiri thinks progress is within reach, however. He believes people are getting increasingly tired of the situation and starting to question it, especially taking issue with the immense cost of waging war.

“You’re telling me we can’t get rid of hunger?” he asked. “If we just spend just a little bit of what we use on weapons? We could do that and more and more people are waking up to that.”

Qadri remains optimistic. “There’s a lot of work being done around the world that we don’t even know about.” All three agreed.

Outlandish graced the stage on that high note with their upbeat classic “Guantanamo.” Lifelong fans nostalgically applauded it among other favourites: “Walou,” “Look into my eyes,” and “Callin’ you.” Among their newer tracks, “Ready to Love” and, “Warrior//Worrier,” were a testament to how much the guys have grown musically and in life in general, a journey paralleled by many of those women (and men) in the audience who were only teens when Outlandish first burst onto the scene with their fresh brand of socially conscious hip-hop. Case in point: the bridal party who had travelled all the way from Belgium to celebrate their hen party at the show.

Saving the best for last for these ardent fans, the trio treated the crowd to a special version of the song that put them on the map worldwide: “Aicha.” Peace signs were held up as the audience sang along.

“You can help in some way,” Martinez said.  “We can sing, we sing.”

By the end of the night, their efforts had helped raise “enough to provide clean, safe water to 5,500 people and 1,000 animals.”