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Morad (rapper)

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For the Moroccan rapper, see Scred Connexion.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is El Khattouti and the second or maternal family name is El Horami.
Morad
Morad performing during the Red Bull SoundClash in December 2023
Morad performing during the Red Bull SoundClash in December 2023
Background information
Birth nameMorad El Khattouti El Horami
Also known as
  • El Morad
  • Koala
  • la K
Born (1999-03-05) 5 March 1999 (age 25)
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2019 –present
LabelsM.D.L.R

Morad El Khattouti El Horami (Arabic: مراد الخطوطي, romanized: Murād āl-Kẖṭūṭī; born 5 March 1999),[1] known mononymously as Morad, is a Spanish rapper and singer. He began his career in 2018 by releasing his first single. In the next year, he released his debut studio album, M.D.L.R. Morad topped the PROMUSICAE singles charts with the singles "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47" in 2021 and with "Pelele" in 2022.

Early life

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Morad was born on 5 March 1999 in the La Florida neighbourhood of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, to Moroccan parents; his mother is from Larache and his father was from Nador, the latter abandoned the family when Morad was young.[2] He spent some of his childhood in a children's home.[3] He began rapping with friends at the age of 14 via WhatsApp.[1]

Career

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Morad popularised in Spain the abbreviation "M.D.L.R" (Mec de la Rue, French for "street boy"), used by French drill musicians of Maghrebi origin. His 2019 debut album and 2020 extended play were titled MDLR and MDLR 2.0 respectively.[1]

Morad collaborated with Argentine producer Bizarrap on "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47", which topped the PROMUSICAE singles chart for two weeks in late December 2021.[4] His song "Pelele" topped the same chart the following month.[5]

Artistry

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Morad performing in 2022

The source of inspiration for Morad's lyrics comes from his childhood and adolescence experiences and how he moved forward despite juvenile delinquency and the marginal situation in which he lived. He also boasts about telling the "truth" about the street experiences, such as police abuse.[6]

The rapper confesses that music has made him mature and admits that thanks to music he is known, he can make a living with it and outside his neighborhood they look at him differently. He performs mainly in the drill musical style, a style with features in common with French rap of Maghrebi origin.[7] He also calls his music something that does not discriminate races.[8]

Personal life

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Relationships

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In the early hours of 27 June 2021, Morad's ex-girlfriend used the key that she kept from their relationship to break into his apartment on the Plaça d'Europa and stab his new girlfriend as she slept next to him. By 9 July, the Civil Guard had found no trace of the attacker's whereabouts.[9] She was convicted in February 2023 and sentenced to nine months in prison; the judge gave a lenient sentence as she believed the attacker was enraged by seeing Morad in bed with another woman.[10]

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Morad and a friend were charged with attempted robbery and threats, alleged to have taken place in the Barcelona neighbourhood of El Putget i Farró in April 2018. In 2022, the prosecution requested a prison sentence of 21⁄2 years, while the defence said that it was a case of mistaken identity.[11] The pair were acquitted when the court heard from a police agent that the images of the suspects did not match the accused.[12]

In April 2022, Morad was arrested for not attending a court hearing for driving without a licence.[13] Two months later, he was arrested again for reckless driving without a licence.[14] In July 2022, he was arrested for disrespecting the police when a car he was a passenger in was stopped for passing a red traffic light.[15]

In July 2022, a judge opened a case against Morad for uploading a video of a member of the Mossos d'Esquadra who had fined him for a parking violation, alongside the false accusation that the police officer was a child abuser.[16]

In October 2022, Morad was arrested on suspicion of having paid young people in La Florida to commit arson. As part of his bail conditions, he was not allowed to return to the neighbourhood.[17]

In February 2023, Morad was arrested and bailed in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat for allegedly threatening a police officer.[18]

In May 2023, prosecutors sought a six-year prison sentence for Morad, for allegedly using a Taser against several Mossos d'Esquadra in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat in July 2021.[19]

Political views

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Morad has voiced support for King Mohammed VI of Morocco and the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. In July 2022, a fan in Ourense threw a flag of Western Sahara on stage, which he picked up, believing it to be a flag of Palestine. He apologised to his Moroccan fans for the misunderstanding.[20][21]

Fashion

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Morad wearing a tracksuit while performing with Dellafuente during the Red Bull SoundClash in December 2023

Morad is frequently seen wearing tracksuits over the years in his music videos and concerts.[22][23] In a 2019 interview he mentioned that public attitude towards him had changed after his rise to fame, saying previously he was not allowed to enter places in tracksuits, meanwhile, now he performs on stage wearing them and if he were to attend the Grammy Awards he would wear a tracksuit.[3] In 2022, he released the single “Chándal” (transl. Tracksuit) rapping about wearing tracksuits on various occasions.[24]

In 2022, Morad collaborated with Adidas and launched football jerseys under the concept Adidas x MDLR.[25] After this, he reached an agreement with the brand to sponsor the clothing of the La Florida FC, a club located in the neighborhood where Morad grew up.[26]

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • M.D.L.R (2019)
  • Reinsertado (2023)

Extended plays

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  • M.D.L.R 2.0 (2020)
  • Capítulo 1 (with Beny Jr as K y B) (2022)
  • Zizou (with Dellafuente) (2023)

Singles

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  • "Lo Noto" (2022)[27]
  • "Niños Pequeños" (2023)[28]
  • "Paz" (with Nicki Nicole) (2023)
  • "No Estuviste En Lo Malo (remix)" (2023)
  • "No Han Cambiado" (2023)
  • "Manos Rotas" (with Dellafuente) (2023) No.1 Spain
  • "Paris Como Hakimi" (2024)

Awards and nominations

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Year Awards Category Nominated work Result
2021 Premios Odeón[29][30] Best Urban Album MDLR Nominated
Best Urban Revelation Himself
2022 Best Urban Artist

References

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  1. ^ a b c Garrido, Elena (17 February 2022). "Morad, de La Florida a la fama: Así es el 'chico de la calle' que traspasa fronteras" [Morad, from La Florida to fame: This is the 'street boy' who crosses barriers] (in Spanish). Metropoli Abierta. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Nació el 5 de marzo de 1999 y comenzó a cantar a los 14 años. [He was born on 5 March 1999 and began singing at age 14]
  2. ^ "Morad hace parada musical en el Poblado de Sancti Petri" [Morad makes a musical stop in Poblado de Sancti Petri]. Viva Jaén (in Spanish). 2 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Fortuny, Ignasi (5 December 2019). "Morad, el don nadie de platino: "Si voy a los Grammy, iré en chándal"" [Morad, the platinum Mr Nobody: "If I go to the Grammys, I'll go in a tracksuit"]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Bizarrap & Morad - Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47 (song)" (in Spanish). Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Morad - Pelele (song)" (in Spanish). Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Morad defiende sus letras contra la Policía: "¿Qué hago si nos trata mal? tendré que dar yo la voz"". LaSexta. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Morad, el rap de la Florida". Diari ARA. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Morad afirma que Marruecos es su país a pesar de haber nacido aquí: "No me han querido ver español en ningún lado"". LaSexta. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  9. ^ "En busca y captura Cristina, la ex de Morad: apuñaló a la pareja de él" [Wanted, Cristina, Morad's ex: she stabbed his partner]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 9 July 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  10. ^ García Bueno, Jesús (7 February 2023). "Condenada la exnovia de Morad por apuñalar a una mujer en casa del rapero" [Morad's ex-girlfriend convicted of stabbing a woman in the rapper's house]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  11. ^ Garrido, Elena (9 February 2022). "Fiscalía pide dos años y medio de prisión para el rapero Morad por el asalto a un piso en el Putxet" [Prosecution asks for two and a half years in prison for the rapper Morad for the storming of a flat in El Putxet] (in Spanish). Metropoli Abierta. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  12. ^ Fortuny, Ignasi (2 March 2022). "Morad, absuelto de un intento de robo en 2018" [Morad, acquitted of attempted robbery in 2018]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Detenido de nuevo Morad, estrella del trap español" [Morad, Spanish trap star, arrested again]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 6 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  14. ^ "El rapero Morad detenido por conducir sin carnet y de forma temeraria por l'Hospitalet" [Rapper Morad arrested for driving recklessly without a licence around L'Hospitalet]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 4 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  15. ^ Congostrina, Alfonso L.; Quesada Navarro, Lúcia (18 July 2022). "El rapero Morad, de nuevo detenido tras enfrentarse a la policía" [Rapper Morad, arrested again after confronting police]. El País. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Un juez procesa al rapero Morad por grabar un vídeo de un mosso que le multó y llamarle en las redes "abusador de menores"" [Judge indicts rapper Morad for filming a video of a Mosso who fined him and calling him a "child abuser" on social media]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). EFE. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  17. ^ "La jueza prohíbe al rapero Morad entrar en el barrio de La Florida de L'Hospitalet" [Judge bans rapper Morad from entering La Florida neighbourhood in L'Hospitalet]. ElDiario.es (in Spanish). 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  18. ^ García Bueno, Jesús (2 February 2023). "El rapero Morad queda en libertad tras ser detenido por amenazar de muerte a un policía local" [Rapper Morad bailed after being arrested for death threats to a local police officer]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  19. ^ "La Fiscalía pide 6 años de prisión al rapero Morad por atacar con una Taser a los Mossos" [Prosecution requests 6 years of prison for rapper Morad for attacking the Mossos with a Taser]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Morad, el ídolo del trap de barrio, la lía en Tik-Tok: "Viva el rey de Marruecos y el Sáhara es de Marruecos"" [Morad, the trap idol from the hood, causes a stir on Tik-Tok: "Long live the king of Morocco and the Western Sahara belongs to Morocco"]. Público (in Spanish). 29 August 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Morad se posiciona políticamente en el conflicto del Sáhara Occidental: "Viva el rey de Marruecos y el Sáhara es de Marruecos"" [Morad positions himself politically in the Western Sahara conflict: "Long live the king of Morocco and the Western Sahara belongs to Morocco"]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 29 August 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  22. ^ "No sin mi chándal. Sin tracksuit no hay música". Cervezas Alhambra. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  23. ^ "Vidéo. Un million d'abonnés sur Insta, il triomphe dans le rap: l'histoire de Morad, Hispano-Marocain, ex-SDF en Espagne". Le360. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Uno de los artistas más escuchados de España, Morad, hace un guiño a Algeciras en su tema 'Chándal'". Diario Área. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Adidas y Morad, una relación comercial en el alambre". Crónica Global. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Morad, el ídolo de barrio que rompe la barrera racial con el fútbol de fondo: "Aquí le adoran más que a Messi o Cristiano"". Relevo. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Morad: el artista estrena 'Lo Noto', su nuevo sencillo". okdiario.com (in Spanish). 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  28. ^ "Niños Pequeños, de Morad: letra y vídeo". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  29. ^ "La lista de nominados a los Premios Odeón de la música española 2021". RTVE. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  30. ^ "Aitana, Camilo, Rosalía y C. Tangana, entre los nominados de los Premios Odeón 2022". RTVE. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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