Spek
Encyclopedia
Hussain Yoosuf, better known by his stage name
Spek, is a Canadian
hip-hop
artist, best known for his singles "Smell the Coffee" and "I'm a Hippie", and as a member of Canadian hip hop group, Dream Warriors
.
. He joined the hip-hop group Dream Warriors
shortly after the release of their hit songs "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" and "Wash Your Face in My Sink".
At the age of 17, he signed a worldwide record contract with EMI
and toured the globe before settling in London
. Spek soon found himself touring across Europe with British Jazz-Rap crew Us3
. Working with musical partner Brian Rose he collaborated with members of Jamiroquai
and with Nitin Sawhney
(whose album Beyond Skin featuring Spek was highly touted by Sting and Madonna
, won the South Bank Album Award and went on to be nominated for the Mercury Music Prize). He appeared on the BBC’s Later... with Jools Holland, and his single "Smell the Coffee" was featured several times in the Old Vic in EastEnders
.
, Fox
and were used in DreamWorks Pictures 2004 comedy Envy. The Times
described his music as "a gentle and genial collection of dreamy love songs and street smart hip hop grooves." Loaded
magazine described his album Don't Sweat the Small Stuff as "like Prince
and De La Soul
in a mucky mudwrestle. Exceptional." and gave it 10 out of 10.
In 2003, Spek was asked to co-host the Juno Awards.
His "Look Me Up" video was voted number one on MTV UK's Daily Chart Live. His "I'm a Hippie" single was a Top 20 hit in Canada.
In 2006, Spek began development of his next film project Fricky Khan about a Sri Lankan motorcycle racer and multiple Grand Prix winner who lived fast and died young. That story is based on the life of Spek's uncle.
in the United Arab Emirates
at the end of 2006 working with BKP Music, the largest music and audio post production company in the Middle East.
2007 saw the formation of Fairwood Music (Arabia), the leading independent music publisher in the region.
Hussain Spek Yoosuf is Managing Director, partner and co-founder of Fairwood Music (Arabia); The company is responsible for pioneering respect for musical copyrights in the Middle East and handle some of the world's leading music catalogues for the Middle East & North Africa including that of Universal Music Publishing Group and EMI Music Publishing among others.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Spek, is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist, best known for his singles "Smell the Coffee" and "I'm a Hippie", and as a member of Canadian hip hop group, Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors were a Canadian hip hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, comprising King Lou and Capital Q. Described as "a pair of deft, intelligent rappers" by Allmusic, they were major contributors to the jazz rap movement of the early 1990s. Their 1991 debut album, And Now the Legacy Begins, is...
.
Early career
Spek started rapping at the age of 14 in his hometown of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He joined the hip-hop group Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors were a Canadian hip hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, comprising King Lou and Capital Q. Described as "a pair of deft, intelligent rappers" by Allmusic, they were major contributors to the jazz rap movement of the early 1990s. Their 1991 debut album, And Now the Legacy Begins, is...
shortly after the release of their hit songs "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" and "Wash Your Face in My Sink".
At the age of 17, he signed a worldwide record contract with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and toured the globe before settling in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Spek soon found himself touring across Europe with British Jazz-Rap crew Us3
US3
Us3 is a jazz-rap group founded in London in 1991. Their name was inspired by a Horace Parlan recording produced by Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records. On their debut album, Hand on the Torch, Us3 used samples from the Blue Note Records catalogue, all originally produced by...
. Working with musical partner Brian Rose he collaborated with members of Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
and with Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney is an Indian-British musician, producer and composer. His critically acclaimed work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of jazz and electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics and spirituality...
(whose album Beyond Skin featuring Spek was highly touted by Sting and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, won the South Bank Album Award and went on to be nominated for the Mercury Music Prize). He appeared on the BBC’s Later... with Jools Holland, and his single "Smell the Coffee" was featured several times in the Old Vic in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
Increasing prominence
Spek's songs were uses in a number of advertising campaigns from NokiaNokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
and were used in DreamWorks Pictures 2004 comedy Envy. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described his music as "a gentle and genial collection of dreamy love songs and street smart hip hop grooves." Loaded
Loaded (magazine)
Loaded, first published in 1994, is a British magazine for men that is considered to be the "original lads' mag". Its motto is "For men who should know better".-History:...
magazine described his album Don't Sweat the Small Stuff as "like Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
in a mucky mudwrestle. Exceptional." and gave it 10 out of 10.
In 2003, Spek was asked to co-host the Juno Awards.
His "Look Me Up" video was voted number one on MTV UK's Daily Chart Live. His "I'm a Hippie" single was a Top 20 hit in Canada.
Films
In 2005, Spek was cast in a lead role in the UK/European feature film Wicked, starring alongside Danish star, Kim Bodnia among others. Playing a dual role he also wrote the films soundtrack and score with long time collaborator Brian Rose. That film screened in Cannes 2005.In 2006, Spek began development of his next film project Fricky Khan about a Sri Lankan motorcycle racer and multiple Grand Prix winner who lived fast and died young. That story is based on the life of Spek's uncle.
Music executive
After years of working as a recording artist, writer, composer, producer and music publishing executive, Spek relocated to DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
at the end of 2006 working with BKP Music, the largest music and audio post production company in the Middle East.
2007 saw the formation of Fairwood Music (Arabia), the leading independent music publisher in the region.
Hussain Spek Yoosuf is Managing Director, partner and co-founder of Fairwood Music (Arabia); The company is responsible for pioneering respect for musical copyrights in the Middle East and handle some of the world's leading music catalogues for the Middle East & North Africa including that of Universal Music Publishing Group and EMI Music Publishing among others.
Releases with Dream Warriors
- Subliminal SimulationSubliminal SimulationSubliminal Simulation is the second studio album by Canadian hip hop group Dream Warriors, released in 1994 in Canada and worldwide in 1995, on EMI/Pendulum Records...
(1994) - The Master Plan (1996)
- Anthology: A Decade of Hits 1988–1998Anthology: A Decade of Hits 1988–1998Anthology: A Decade of Hits 1988–1998 is a greatest hits compilation album by Canadian hip hop group Dream Warriors, released June 22, 1999. It was released on Priority Records in the United States. The album featured two new songs, "U Ready" and "dreamwarriors.com"...
(1999)
Guest appearances
- Beres HammondBeres HammondBeres Hammond is a reggae singer known in particular for his romantic lovers rock and soulful voice...
– "Highlight of the Day" - Nitin SawhneyNitin SawhneyNitin Sawhney is an Indian-British musician, producer and composer. His critically acclaimed work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of jazz and electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics and spirituality...
– "The Pilgrim" - Kinnie StarrKinnie StarrAlida Kinnie Starr Pierre is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta. Her music, which blends hip hop and alternative rock, has been described as "hip hop aggro groove". Her songs have been included on the soundtracks for the TV series The L Word and the movie Thirteen...
– "E-Merged" - Bass is BaseBass is BaseBass is Base was a Canadian R&B group from Toronto, Ontario, active during the 1990s.The band consisted of Chin Injeti on bass, Ivana Santilli on keyboards, and MC Mystic on percussion...
– Memories of the Soulshack Survivors - The Dukes of Hang Gliding – My Cinema