Massari

Blending traditional Middle Eastern inflections with R&B and hip-hop frameworks, the vocalist Massari emerged from Lebanon to cultivate a global audience once his family relocated to Canada. His 2005 self-titled debut climbed into the Canadian Top 30 and received gold certification before Forever Massari followed in 2009; further singles appeared until the third album, Tune In, surfaced in 2018. Multiple chart-topping releases in Lebanon include the 2020 collaboration “I See the Dream (Badna Salam).”

Born Sari Abboud in Beirut on December 10, 1980, he experienced the Lebanese Civil War during childhood; at age ten the family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, then relocated again to Ottawa, Ontario, when he turned thirteen. There Sari first performed publicly at a local talent show. In 2001 he turned professional, taking the stage name Massari—an Arabic term for “money”—and issued his debut single, “Spitfire,” in 2002, which earned regional radio play around Ottawa. Capital Prophet distributed his self-titled full-length debut in 2005; guest spots from rappers Belly and Loon helped the project achieve gold status in Canada while reaching listeners across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Tensions with the label led to a split in 2007, after which Massari joined Universal for Forever Massari in 2009, though that partnership also ended quickly. Returning to Capital Prophet in 2011, he dropped the single “Dance for Your Life,” followed by the gold-certified “Brand New Day” in 2012 and “Shisha” featuring French Montana in 2013. “What About the Love” with Mia Martina arrived in 2014, and several earlier tracks appeared on the 2015 Hero EP. Extensive live performances across Canada and abroad occupied the next several years while he prepared new material. In March 2017 he previewed two singles, “So Long” and “Done Da Da,” for an album originally planned as Beirut; the title later became Tune In and the project reached stores in July 2018, featuring Tory Lanez, Beenie Man, Afrojack, Mohammed Assaf, and Shaggy. “Roll with It” with Assaf and the follow-up “Ya Nour El Ein” with Maya Diab and French Montana both reached number one in Lebanon. The 2019 protest response “Albeh Nkasar” preceded his late-2020 collaboration with Ali Gatie on “I See the Dream (Badna Salam),” another Lebanese chart-topper.