our last speaker for this session is
Hasani Denali
aka big Hoss he’s a radio host of
Sally’s first and only FM hiphop radio
show leash hip hop and also as a founder
of Rewald blog and revolt magazine he
believes in music liberation and
supporting local and regional artists
his passion is all about being true to
hip-hop culture he also founded the
beats in 2013 which is a series of
events aimed for support local artists
by having them perform live big Hoss has
recently relocated to Dubai to enhance
his autistic kids life since the
awareness in UAE
is much better than KSA big has you have
the floor Wow
thank you me wow you guys look beautiful
give yourself a big round of applause
I’m truly honored it’s gonna be very
hard to top what this seventh grader did
really give it up for Joe man one more
time I feel well I feel like a midget
really listening to the the speakers
that I would before me and I’m sure
after me we have some amazing speakers
okay ah TEDx I was just talking to my
friend Dennis the Jenny over here that
it took this TEDx stage and this guy is
like well anyway um my name is big Hoss
and I’m a human being that believes in
good authentic vibes and that’s why I am
inspired today but the things that were
said like everything in life there is
like a flame or a purpose that starts a
journey for someone and my started in
2009 when I was just you know chilling
on my laptop just trying to listen to
some music I was just a regular guy
listening to what the mass media gives
us in terms of music what
radio plays the same 10 top songs that
are on Billboard it’s the same kind of
subject which is any love love you have
basic have Bettina you miss me I miss
you too all that stuff which is cool but
it’s not what life is all about so
something happened that flame I was like
why can’t we hear local talent on the
radio why can’t we hear something
different why can’t we hear something
that would elevate our minds because I
do believe that lyrics can elevate that
and being that the blog and the Internet
is is a vessel I started a blog called
revolt and revolt is a blog that
empowers underground artists and and
pushes them revolt is a combination of
two words revolution I wanted to revolt
against the mindless and that radio
stations and everything that is there
and voltage because one of my dreams one
day is to create a radio station and
like I said the reason I start a revolt
is to empower those artists now the
initial phase and launch was what was
really cool I was I was really inspired
by the artists I’ve seen across the Arab
world and even the in the US and Europe
and it wasn’t only about hip-hop in the
beginning and that’s the interesting
fact I was doing pop music electronic
music rock music anybody that it was
underground I was supportive really it
doesn’t matter but then I got hit with
something called the Arabic hip-hop
movement these guys see the Arabs are
here that would know that 99.99% of our
music is about love now I saw something
I saw people from Iraq from Syria from
for the Saleen from like in from Sudan
incredible incredible lyrics that me as
a guy as Hassan I’m listening to the
lyrics it just elevated my mind
automatically I was like wow I want to
do this I want to push hip hop because
at the end of the day hip-hop is that
culture and for people who don’t know
that hip-hop has elements you know
there’s rap which is the MC there’s
graffiti there’s breaking which is the
dancing
and and there’s DJ these are all like
elements of hip-hop now for you though
though that door knows well rap stands
for rhythm and poetry shared we’ll talk
at the end of the day is just spitting
with rhymes and that’s what’s beautiful
about it and Arabic hip-hop has so much
power what pushed me as well to do
hip-hop is there’s so many conceptions
about him I’m here with you guys today
in a bowtie that’s as formal as I can
get but so many people when they see me
and they say hip-hop they start acting
like this yo yo man what’s up what’s up
West why why’d you have to do that
science you don’t have to do science to
be hip-hop really okay so there was many
misconceptions about hip-hop and that
pushed me as well to start you know
pushing that okay I started a blog but
then I love I love this mic as you can
see I’m gonna traditionally kind of guy
I love Mike I love broadcasting I love
speaking to people now my idea was to
launch a radio show in Saudi Arabia me
talking about it right now one of the
most conservative places in the world if
not the most conservative people even my
friends the circle my family I said
radio show hip-hop Fister thee in Saudi
Arabia really like what and I got so
much negative feedback I got pushed away
like you know pushed down left down and
Center whatever you call it but I really
my aim was to push good music on on on
the radio now it took me five years but
I’m very happy sorry it took me six
months to go to the station that you
know because at that time in 2011 we had
only one station inside Arabia imagine
one FM radio only and and they didn’t
want to play any kind of hip-hop or
music at that time so it it it pushed me
to to somehow actually go to various
countries I went to Lebanon taught by
Helen and even the UAE and I tried I
didn’t have something called wasta or
like yeah I didn’t have that I just
walked in I said hey I
or a connection we call it I didn’t have
I didn’t have that all I had was my
passion and that’s why I say I feel like
a midget today because I am NOT talented
whatsoever I think my passion is a
talent and a noob I do believe that
passion if you have a big big passion
you will get it now it took me six
months to convince that new station that
open up inside Arabia it’s a new station
that is all about the youth to have a
hip-hop show I’m like it’s gonna bring
your ratings people are gonna listen to
you some people that don’t even turn
little radios gonna listen to you I
don’t know all that stuff and hanged
Allah made history by launching Saudis
first FM hip hop way to your show yes
less hip hop which means why hip hop and
it’s Saudis first FM hip-hop radio show
it is this it is one of the few shows in
the region that supports local talent
because they’re talented and not because
of the number of followers they got on
Instagram on Twitter you’re talented
period handle era like I said it is it
is a show that supports you know local
talent only because they’re talented and
weighted hip-hop take me man look at
this it took me to the US Austria Sweden
Qatar Kuwait Austria I want to talk
about Sweden because Sweden for me is
it’s really really still mind-boggling
till now I don’t know so I was just you
know on my laptop I got an email from
Lund University one of the biggest
universities in Europe like hello big
Hoss we’ve been following your work I
would like to invite you to speak to our
students at loons University I’m like
yes but come on from Sweden to Saudi
Arabia like hip hop hip hop got me there
the power of the word got me there I’m
so thankful for that culture for that
art form
these are some of the people I’ve met on
my left shadow Mansour the queen of
Arabic hip hop in my opinion she’s a
Palestinian British rapper DJ lethal
skills on the top left on your left on
your right Chuck D Public Enemy he is
that yes give it up for Chuck D
he had a song called fight the power and
it was incredible to meet him on the
bottom right Loki who inspired
everything yes Loki can in tennis this
guy is a is an Iraqi a British rapper
that moved every single cell in me
really every he educated me about what’s
going on and for the steel he educating
about what’s going on in the world he
was a new source for me
Odyssey these are some incredible talent
Run DMC the narcissist I want offend him
yes from Iraq and Syria it’s just
incredible and it’s like it’s like I
wanted to do something even more so when
you look at this picture what do you see
you see a turtle a drum tree roots and
that’s how I am people somehow always
underestimate the turtle right but the
turtle is Drummond and and there’s
always like a it’s you look at this
picture there’s roots there is power and
there is the Trump and there is that
dedication there is a passion and that’s
what I launched the beats and the beat
is a series of events aimed to support
local artists by having them perform
live again inside Arabia ladies and
gentleman this is the cafeteria I’ve
done it in Saudi Arabia an event where I
really begged the owner of the compound
to host this event and 40 people showed
up actually one of the artists didn’t
want to perform because he’s like
cafeteria me in the cafeteria no so that
yeah anyway
Angela a year later 700 people I managed
to do a very underground event inside
Arabia 700 people showed up and it was
all supporting local town and people
were shocked about the talent that there
was in Saudi Arabia now I always say
this really keep positive stay the
course
keep working be persistent don’t back
down from your beliefs and if you look
at it yeah so cliche naive believe me I
went through each and every one of them
and that’s what you need to succeed
period
my leap of faith is they ship hop has
been a huge huge leap I’ve gained so
much knowledge I’ve met so many amazing
people
okay Wow I saw a good picture but
everyone I love this picture for one
reason because everyone that sees me he
says Haase man you’re so loud all the
time you’re always pushing this you’re
always pushing that well guess what
that’s what you need because the door
I’m banging ladies and gentlemen is the
door of ignorance is not made of wood I
can’t just break it or open it it’s made
of steel and by that door I mean it’s
the ignorance there’s some Minds that
are so made of steel you can’t change it
well guess what I’m gonna be loud I’m
gonna be loud I’m gonna be loud until
that door yeah Wow until someone inside
that door just opens and it’s like come
in and when I go in I’m not going into
my own I’m going in with all my tribe
with all the local talents that are
there are we gonna be conquering the
world that’s my wife in the middle man
give her a big right now applause she’s
my better half to keep evolving I also
started a magazine cover for magazine
it’s a very dope magazine that supports
as well you know our Arab culture and
and hip-hop culture as well I’ve done a
series of mixtapes for the people who
don’t know what mixtapes is it’s like a
you know a CD or a compilation that has
different songs from different kind of
artists so the point here is you have to
keep evolving you can’t just be you know
still got a P you know you gotta keep
evolving I’ve done so many ciphers
I was featured blessed to be featured on
so many media around the world until now
just looking at this I mean I was on
radio on Austria Sweden BBC the CNN and
it was all it was interesting how how to
be on those channels for me and pushing
local talent all the time and even
submitting music for local talent and
hearing them on radio in you know us and
when they say you know like for example
there’s a track called destiny biomotor
phantom which was played on the radio
and I and I pushed it and it was like
wow me helping to push local talent to
be playing on other
radios really gave me a huge
satisfaction who knows here a little
Cool J yeah yeah so yeah he’s like a bit
of old school but LL Cool J he’s he had
his first interview with me and look I
can’t still believe it he’s a shout out
to big house Saudi Arabia and the whole
Gulf peace and love that was LL Cool J
first and only interview with any Arab
radio and when I hit his people up I
said you know this is Hass Saudi Arabia
first hip-hop show like they were like
what what do you mean hip-hop show
Saturday yeah I mean Ella and and and
and on my underline and the left as well
it’s Chuck DS like my man big Hoss at
Arabia Santi and I the 11 nations he was
really incredible now I wrote this thing
about like five six months ago and I
really want to say to you guys I am
nowhere of a poet of a talent guy but I
just want to somehow express how I go
through every single day and this
somehow sums it up alright so I say I’m
a human first with great passion I fight
I’m a human first with activism I in
lights I’m a human first with a pen I
shadow walls I’m a human first with my
mic I get to the oppressed calls and
you’re gonna say how does hip-hop and
music and elevate and change world well
sir or ma’am or miss you’re very naive
to think that it doesn’t it does and it
will and it is doing it and that’s the
beautiful thing about hip-hop especially
because it is a very very powerful tool
now a very good friend of mine his name
is else lead he’s a caddy graffiti
artist he wasn’t judged about three
years ago and I was very blessed to take
this picture and be up with him
it’s an incredi the Kelly graffiti is
the mix between graffiti and calligraphy
he does amazing work pushes Arabic
culture like crazy so when he came to
Saudi Arabia he wrote something that
says in Arabic and then in San another
allahu la hyatt inaho which means in
english like those snaps that’s cool
a human with no trace has no life and
believe me believe me every single
speaker here and every one of you guys
have to have
at that trace even if it’s small don’t
matter even if one person knew about it
and that’s the beautiful thing about
this coat and I love it
a human with no trace has no life leave
your trace in this life because this
life is is a test for us at the end of
the day and I think you have to leave it
and you got to leave something positive
and it’s even more powerful and stronger
if you have a platform if I have a
platform and a voice where I am talking
right now on the mic
why not spit or say something positive
to the souls out there and that’s what
pushes me to be always loud on the radio
that’s why I always say support your
local talent that’s why I’m fighting the
system like when I’m a radio host and I
play local music my radio station says
no we don’t want to play they have like
10 followers
so what play it I’m gonna tell you a
quick story that I’ve never told before
but this is TEDx let’s go one of the
first songs are played on my radio show
was by shadowmen Sewell called a goofy a
Tobias a little bit of bullet political
track but I wanted to play it and push
and push that music on sorry FM now that
song got rejected on the radio so I
didn’t really want to get to get it
erect it ejected so what I did is man I
can’t believe I’m saying this okay what
I did is I change the file name to just
change the file name to Britney Spears
oops I did it again I guess what guess
what a flu they didn’t even click the
file to double-click it to hear it in
flu and I was like ladies and gentlemen
this is shettima little click play in a
matter of 50 seconds all the managers
came you know there’s like what is this
what do you play I’m like this is
scheria monsoon and nothing is stopping
us ladies and gentlemen yes wow man it’s
a huge honor me being here my name is
big Hoss and I’m an Earthian
I’m from the earth and I love what these
girls said I don’t have an identity I
earn from the earth and we are all human
beings that’s how we should be and
that’s how I you know you know that’s
how I talk to it that’s how I talk about
myself I’m a I’m a Saudi national
that don’t look Saudi and every time I
go in in one of the governmental you
know offices in Saudi they said give me
a residency and I give them my idea they
said oh you’re Saudi how come I’m sad
I’m a human anyway nice and gentlemen I
want you all to put your peace sign up
in the air that’s how I had my talks
always yes I see you everybody I see you
there
I always say one love one world one
humanity thank you guys would be an
amazing crowd big after TEDx and
Cambridge High School for making inhibit
shoutout to all the volunteers guys
thank you very much as said I’m on a
coon thank you [Applause]