Morad (rapper)

Morad El Khattouti El Horami (Arabic: مراد الخطوطي, romanized: Murād āl-Kẖṭūṭī; born 5 March 1999),[1] known mononymously as Morad, is a Spanish rapper. He topped the PROMUSICAE singles charts with "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47" in 2021 and with "Pelele" in 2022.

Morad
Morad performing during a concert in Casablanca in November 2022
Morad performing during a concert in Casablanca in November 2022
Background information
Birth nameMorad El Khattouti El Horami
Also known as
  • El Morad
  • Koala
  • la K
Born (1999-03-05) 5 March 1999
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
OriginL'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2017–present
LabelsM.D.L.R

Early life

Morad was born on 5 March 1999 in the La Florida neighbourhood of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, to Moroccan parents; his mother is from Larache and his father was from Nador, the latter whom abandoned the family when Morad was young.[2] He spent some of his childhood in a children's home.[3] He began rapping with friends at the age of 14 via WhatsApp.[1]

Career

Morad popularised in Spain the abbreviation "M.D.L.R" (Mec de la Rue, French for "street boy"), used by French drill musicians of Maghrebi origin. His 2019 debut album and 2020 extended play were titled MDLR and MDLR 2.0 respectively.[1]

Morad collaborated with Argentine producer Bizarrap on "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47", which topped the PROMUSICAE singles chart for two weeks in late December 2021.[4] His song "Pelele" topped the same chart the following month.[5]

Personal life

Morad performing in 2023

Relationships

In the early hours of 27 June 2021, Morad's ex-girlfriend used the key that she kept from their relationship to break into his apartment on the Plaça d'Europa and stab his new girlfriend as she slept next to him. By 9 July, the Civil Guard had found no trace of the attacker's whereabouts.[6] She was convicted in February 2023 and sentenced to nine months in prison; the judge gave a lenient sentence as she believed the attacker was enraged by seeing Morad in bed with another woman.[7]

Morad and a friend were charged with attempted robbery and threats, alleged to have taken place in the Barcelona neighbourhood of El Putget i Farró in April 2018. In 2022, the prosecution requested a prison sentence of 212 years, while the defence said that it was a case of mistaken identity.[8] The pair were acquitted when the court heard from a police agent that the images of the suspects did not match the accused.[9]

In April 2022, Morad was arrested for not attending a court hearing for driving without a licence.[10] Two months later, he was arrested again for reckless driving without a licence.[11] In July 2022, he was arrested for disrespecting the police when a car he was a passenger in was stopped for passing a red traffic light.[12]

In July 2022, a judge opened a case against Morad for uploading a video of a member of the Mossos d'Esquadra who had fined him for a parking violation, alongside the false accusation that the police officer was a child abuser.[13]

In October 2022, Morad was arrested on suspicion of having paid young people in La Florida to commit arson. As part of his bail conditions, he was not allowed to return to the neighbourhood.[14]

In February 2023, Morad was arrested and bailed in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat for allegedly threatening a police officer.[15]

In May 2023, prosecutors sought a six-year prison sentence for Morad, for allegedly using a Taser against several Mossos d'Esquadra in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat in July 2021.[16]

Political views

Morad has voiced support for King Mohammed VI of Morocco and the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. In July 2022, a fan in Ourense threw a flag of Western Sahara on stage, which he picked up, believing it to be a flag of Palestine. He apologised to his Moroccan fans for the misunderstanding.[17][18]

Discography

Singles

  • "Lo Noto" (2022)[19]
  • "Niños Pequeños" (2023)[20]
  • "Paz" (with Nicki Nicole) (2023)
  • "No Estuviste En Lo Malo (remix)" (2023)

Studio albums

  • M.D.L.R (2019)
  • Reinsertado (2023)

Extended plays

  • M.D.L.R 2.0 (2020)
  • Capítulo 1 (with Beny Jr as K y B) (2022)

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Category Nominated work Result
2021 Premios Odeón[21][22] Best Urban Album MDLR Nominated
2022 Best Urban Artist Himself Nominated

References

  1. Garrido, Elena (17 February 2022). "Morad, de La Florida a la fama: Así es el 'chico de la calle' que traspasa fronteras" [Morad, from La Florida to fame: This is the 'street boy' who crosses barriers] (in Spanish). Metropoli Abierta. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Nació el 5 de marzo de 1999 y comenzó a cantar a los 14 años. [He was born on 5 March 1999 and began singing at age 14]
  2. "Morad hace parada musical en el Poblado de Sancti Petri" [Morad makes a musical stop in Poblado de Sancti Petri]. Viva Jaén (in Spanish). 2 August 2021.
  3. Fortuny, Ignasi (5 December 2019). "Morad, el don nadie de platino: "Si voy a los Grammy, iré en chándal"" [Morad, the platinum Mr Nobody: "If I go to the Grammys, I'll go in a tracksuit"]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  4. "Bizarrap & Morad - Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47 (song)" (in Spanish). Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  5. "Morad - Pelele (song)" (in Spanish). Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  6. "En busca y captura Cristina, la ex de Morad: apuñaló a la pareja de él" [Wanted, Cristina, Morad's ex: she stabbed his partner]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 9 July 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  7. García Bueno, Jesús (7 February 2023). "Condenada la exnovia de Morad por apuñalar a una mujer en casa del rapero" [Morad's ex-girlfriend convicted of stabbing a woman in the rapper's house]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  8. Garrido, Elena (9 February 2022). "Fiscalía pide dos años y medio de prisión para el rapero Morad por el asalto a un piso en el Putxet" [Prosecution asks for two and a half years in prison for the rapper Morad for the storming of a flat in El Putxet] (in Spanish). Metropoli Abierta. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  9. Fortuny, Ignasi (2 March 2022). "Morad, absuelto de un intento de robo en 2018" [Morad, acquitted of attempted robbery in 2018]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  10. "Detenido de nuevo Morad, estrella del trap español" [Morad, Spanish trap star, arrested again]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 6 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  11. "El rapero Morad detenido por conducir sin carnet y de forma temeraria por l'Hospitalet" [Rapper Morad arrested for driving recklessly without a licence around L'Hospitalet]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 4 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  12. Congostrina, Alfonso L.; Quesada Navarro, Lúcia (18 July 2022). "El rapero Morad, de nuevo detenido tras enfrentarse a la policía" [Rapper Morad, arrested again after confronting police]. El País. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  13. "Un juez procesa al rapero Morad por grabar un vídeo de un mosso que le multó y llamarle en las redes "abusador de menores"" [Judge indicts rapper Morad for filming a video of a Mosso who fined him and calling him a "child abuser" on social media]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). EFE. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  14. "La jueza prohíbe al rapero Morad entrar en el barrio de La Florida de L'Hospitalet" [Judge bans rapper Morad from entering La Florida neighbourhood in L'Hospitalet]. ElDiario.es (in Spanish). 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  15. García Bueno, Jesús (2 February 2023). "El rapero Morad queda en libertad tras ser detenido por amenazar de muerte a un policía local" [Rapper Morad bailed after being arrested for death threats to a local police officer]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  16. "La Fiscalía pide 6 años de prisión al rapero Morad por atacar con una Taser a los Mossos" [Prosecution requests 6 years of prison for rapper Morad for attacking the Mossos with a Taser]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  17. "Morad, el ídolo del trap de barrio, la lía en Tik-Tok: "Viva el rey de Marruecos y el Sáhara es de Marruecos"" [Morad, the trap idol from the hood, causes a stir on Tik-Tok: "Long live the king of Morocco and the Western Sahara belongs to Morocco"]. Público (in Spanish). 29 August 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  18. "Morad se posiciona políticamente en el conflicto del Sáhara Occidental: "Viva el rey de Marruecos y el Sáhara es de Marruecos"" [Morad positions himself politically in the Western Sahara conflict: "Long live the king of Morocco and the Western Sahara belongs to Morocco"]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 29 August 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  19. "Morad: el artista estrena 'Lo Noto', su nuevo sencillo". okdiario.com (in Spanish). 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  20. "Niños Pequeños, de Morad: letra y vídeo". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  21. "La lista de nominados a los Premios Odeón de la música española 2021". RTVE. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  22. "Aitana, Camilo, Rosalía y C. Tangana, entre los nominados de los Premios Odeón 2022". RTVE. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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