<span>If you do a quick scan through Moroccan-American rapper French Montana’s social media posts, you are likely to see the occasional image of him spending time with the Palestinian-American hip-hop producer DJ Khaled in some lush and blinged-up setting.</span> <span>While the posts are good-natured, they serve as powerful examples of two Arab-inspired artists exerting increasing influence on the popular music industry. The significance hasn’t been lost on Montana.</span> <span>“I definitely feel like I am part of something that is pushing Arabic success in hip-hop and that is just dope to me,” he says. “We are a small community in the business that we are in – a community where all of us have been moulded by our Arabic background.”</span> <span>In addition to Montana, here are some other hip-hop personalities who trace their backgrounds to the region.</span> <strong><span>Noah ‘40’ Shebib</span></strong> <span>Arguably one of the most influential and successful producers presently in hip-hop, t</span><span>he Lebanese-Canadian artist is the quiet Svengali behind rap </span><span>star Drake, having produced all of his albums and providing him with that signature sound of soulful and ambient down-tempo beats.</span> <strong><span>DJ Khaled</span></strong> <span>Producer, businessman and possibly the first hip-hop motivational speaker. Born Khaled Mohamed Khaled in the United States</span><span> to Palestinian parents, the 42-year-old got his foot in the industry through his DJ work and hosting gigs on radio. </span><span>One of the first monikers Khaled used was Arab Attack, a name he understandably dropped after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Since then, he has used the name DJ Khaled and </span><span>has been a chart-topping success ever since.</span> <strong><span>Fredwreck</span></strong> <span>The industry veteran has learned from one of the masters. Real name Farid Nassar, the Palestinian-American got his big break in 2001 when he was hired by </span><span>hip-hop super producer Dr Dre to work on his best-selling album </span><span><em>2001</em></span><span>. Since then, Fredwreck became an in-demand producer who collaborated with everyone from rappers Snoop Dogg and Xzibit to popstars Britney Spears and Hilary Duff. Despite his demands state-side, Fredwreck always showed some love for the region: he hosted the music show </span><span><em>Hip Hop Na</em></span><span> for the now defunct MTV Arabia channel in 2007 and </span><span><em>Beit el Hip Hop</em></span><span> for the youth-oriented Wanash TV channel in 2009.</span> <strong>___________________</strong><br/> <strong>Read more:</strong><br/> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/nine-in-rhyme-for-all-star-cast-of-anghami-s-arabian-hip-hop-track-1.742635">Nine in rhyme for all-star cast of Anghami's Arabian hip-hop track</a></strong><br/> <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/pop-star-mohamed-hamaki-says-egypt-s-world-cup-failure-wasn-t-his-fault-1.744452"><strong>Pop star Mohamed Hamaki says Egypt's World Cup failure wasn't his fault</strong></a><br/> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/mawazine-2018-marwan-khoury-on-showcasing-the-depths-of-arabic-music-s-history-1.743726">Mawazine 2018: Marwan Khoury on showcasing the depths of Arabic music's history</a></strong><br/> <strong>___________________</strong><br/>
