M.I.A. joins the Wireless Festival Middle East lineup

The British rapper will join Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert at Etihad Park on 11 March.

As Wireless Festival prepares to make its inaugural bow in the Middle East, new additions have been made to the lineup of artists set to perform at the festival, celebrating the biggest names in Hip-Hop, R&B and dance music.

In January, FACT revealed that Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Wegz, Black Sherif, Ali Gatie, King, Divine and Young Stunners would perform at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Park on Saturday, 11 March. We now have nine new names to add to that list.

M.I.A.

Mathangi Arulpragasam, more widely known by her stage name M.I.A., is a London-born female rapper sure to light up the Wireless stage. Immersed in music from a young age, M.I.A. began her recording career in 2002, and truly burst onto the scene with her 2007 hit single Paper Planes. Her success has been marked by consistent cultural innovation, unique lyrics, and a remarkable ability to remain socially, aesthetically, and musically ahead of the curve. M.I.A., who has worked with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Madonna, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott, will bring an eclectic mix of alternative, dance, electronic, Hip-Hop, and world music to the festival. Expect to hear her hit singles Bad Girls, Borders and XXXO, and the tracks Babylon, The One and Popular from her recent album Mata.

Raja Kumari

American rapper and singer Raja Kumari will also take to the Wireless stage. Her illustrious career includes collaborations with artists such as Fifth Harmony, Fall Out Boy, Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea and Knife Party. Festival attendees will be able to enjoy her acclaimed singles N.R.I., City Slums, Shook and Roots.

$kinny

Sami Hamed, known by the stage name $kinny, is a Saudi-American rapper born in Riyadh. While his family exposed him to different types of music like Nirvana, he discovered rap after buying a CD featuring rapper 50 Cent, who became one of his biggest influences. He released his debut mixtape Ghetto Disneyland in 2014. The self-produced project received positive reviews, paving the way for the hits Never Snitch, Mashallah and Salam, a collaboration with Swizz Beatz and French Montana. His 2019 album Thank You For Nothing peaked at number one on Apple Music Middle East chart.

K-Trap

K-Trap is a British rapper and songwriter known for delivering hard-hitting lyrics over grime-infused beats. Born in East London, he rose to fame with his first mixtape, No Magic in 2017, which received critical acclaim for its raw style. K-Trap has collaborated with UK rap artists like Headie One and M Huncho, and has been praised for his ability to switch between hard-hitting raps and melodic hooks. His collaboration with Skepta, Warm, has amassed over 3.5 million views on YouTube.

Dizzytooskinny

Dizzytooskinny is a well-known Egyptian artist and visionary in the world of rap. He embraces innovative music technology to create a sound that is uniquely his whilst drawing inspiration from his mentors Afroto, Ahmed G Dizzy and Batistuta. Each of his tracks brims with a futuristic auto-tune that has become a trademark of his music. His hits include Afareeet, Brainstorm, Pluto and STR3.

Dafencii

Named after the artist Leonardo da Vinci is soulful Sudanese rapper Dafencii. The artist, otherwise known as Omar El Fadel, first garnered attention with his debut release Rksha, establishing himself as a talent with an intelligent play on words. The video has amassed over 800,000 views on YouTube since its release in 2021. Since then, Dafencii has teamed up with Palestinian producer Khayyat, to release the tracks Nas Ghareeba and King Alhalaba.

Casa Vince

Casa Vince is an Emirati-Palestinian recording artist based in Dubai who blends western and Middle Eastern sounds to create a captivating listening experience. With a velvety microtonal voice, Casa Vince’s music mixes R&B slow jams and soulful beats to create an upbeat dance vibe. Growing up with a stutter, he found solace in singing and songwriting, using these as tools of self-expression. Expect to hear Casa Vince’s hits All For Me, Close and Soul Searching.

Completing the lineup of musical mastery, festival-goers will be treated to sounds by DJ Nico and DJ Liutik to top off all the excitement.

Wireless Festival Middle East’s debut in Abu Dhabi will feature 17 live performances across two stages, in addition to plenty of food and beverage options, and several big-name brand activations.

Tickets for Wireless Festival Middle East are on sale via www.ticketmaster.ae. AED 295 (General Admission) and AED 795 (Golden Circle).

GO: Visit www.wirelessfestival.me for more information.