Muslim-American Emcee Munch – Breaking Down Stereotypes & Overcoming Naysayers

Rapper Munch Finds The Balance Between Hip-Hop Lifestyle & His Muslim Culture

Up and coming rapper, Maher Hachem aka Munch doesn’t have the typical look you think of, when you think ‘rapper’.  But that’s the idea.  He’s focused on breaking down stereotypes and overcoming the naysayers that try to place people in a box and keep them there.  His positive energy combines Hip-Hop and a new age twist of electronic house production, which propels him to break out the box and he’s doing it with his new single “Sriracha” featuring Braaks.

“Sriracha” premiered last month from the Detroit bred rapper.  The message behind his new song is “Follow your dreams, live the lifestyle you want no matter what anyone says about it,” says Munch.

Inspired by the greats, Tupac’s Outlawz, Biggie, Outkast, and Goodie Mob; Munch realized he too wanted to create music and it came to him around the age of 15.  He says, “I started writing, recording and really emphasized on creating sounds that you don’t expect.”  That goes to show that Hip-Hop music transcends all boundaries and reached all the way to a Muslim-American kid with Lebanese and German roots.

While becoming a rapper may not have been his parents’ first choice of a career for Munch, he says they’ve embraced his decision and all his family is very supportive of his musical career.  “They come to my shows, which really boosts my confidence,” Munch revealed.  He’s recently been performing throughout North America and will soon be organizing some performances at colleges in the Fall.

Munch say’s finding a balance has been helpful in successfully blending his Hip-Hop lifestyle and his Muslim culture.  He feels like music is bigger than Hip-Hop and he focuses on living a life that he enjoys.  At this point, he hasn’t run into any boundaries from his religious community.  However he’s aware that he doesn’t fit the mold for a rapper.  His response to that is, “It’s more about how you feel.  Just because you don’t fit something specific, it’s still okay to be who you want to be.  I strive to be positive minded, give good energy and above all be honest in my music.”  Now that’s worth respecting.