Arabesque

Born Steven Kawalit, Toronto hip-hop artist Arabesque—also known by the alias Aramaic—charted his own course as a Canadian-born Palestinian by rejecting conventional rap formulas in favor of lyrics that tackled divisive topics and raw personal pain. He first entered the scene during his mid-teens. Throughout the early 2000s he issued several self-released singles on Canada’s underground circuit, beginning with the 2002 track “The Reason.” The single that broke him through to wider domestic audiences was the emotionally stark “Choked Up,” which recounted the loss of his girlfriend; Toronto urban radio placed the 12-inch in steady rotation while MTV Canada and Much Music added the video. Blending raw underground aesthetics with lush, ’70s-soul-inflected beats, Arabesque cultivated a devoted following that soon drew major-label interest. Opting to remain independent, he instead joined the U.K. imprint Sin Nombre in 2005. His debut album, Frenzy of Renown, reached stores in the U.K. and Canada late that year and arrived in the U.S. in early 2006. Outside Canada the project drew scant attention, yet it earned a Rap Recording of the Year nomination at the 2007 Juno Awards. Capitalizing on that recognition, Arabesque then partnered with Toronto’s URBNet Records for the 2007 Hang Your Heroes EP, which was hosted by former Flipmode Squad member Rah Digga.