Omar and Mohamed, better known as the Ashekman twins, are very good friends of mine. But I've been a fan of their art long before we became friends, whether it's their Lebanese Hip Hop, their infamous graffiti murals and their urban fashion line. I mean, my "Hurriya" tattoo on my left wrist is their design, so you know the love is real.
Another very successful dear friend of mine is Bassel, aka DJ BASE. I admire Base's work because before moving to LA, he was at the top of his game in Beirut. BASE was synonymous with hip hop in Beirut and the region from mega-clubs to our house parties and the massive rap concerts in Lebanon and the region. Despite all that though, he moved to Los Angeles and to further his musical abilities instead of enjoy the cushy life of a famous DJ in Beirut when there were so few of them back then.
In LA, he rose up through the ranks of the hip hop scene and today, he's part of the DASH Radio team that is causing ripples when it comes to online music streaming. And in his down time works on a regular basis with the folks like Wiz, Snoop, Drake, Rick Ross, Taylor Swift and yes, my dear tween readers, Justin Bieber. Oh, and me! (There's something really cool Base and I, well, mostly Base, did during my last visit to LA)
So, Ashekman sent their personalized Snoop Calligraffiti painting to LA, and that's what happened when BASE gave it to Snoop. Some Lebanese urban art hanging in D-O-DOUBLE G's studio in LA!
Despite everything bad that we might encounter every day, and the humiliating situation our country is in, it's always such a nice beautiful boost of serotonin to see Lebanese artists doing awesome things in awesome places.
