Omar Musa

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Omar bin Musa
Omar Musa at Jaipur Literature Festival, Federation Square, Melbourne 2017
Omar Musa at Jaipur Literature Festival, Federation Square, Melbourne 2017
Background information
Birth nameOmar bin Musa
BornQueanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Genreship hop, slam poetry, spoken word
Occupation(s)poet, rapper, author, artist
Instrument(s)vocals
Years active2002–present
Websiteomarmusa.com.au

Omar bin Musa is a Malaysian-Australian author, poet, rapper, and visual artist from Queanbeyan, New South Wales.[1][2][3] He has released four hip hop records, four books of poetry,[4] and the novel Here Come the Dogs, which was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award[5] and the International Dublin Literary Award.[6] Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Novelists of the Year in 2015.[7]

Career[edit]

Musa was runner up in the 2007 Australian Poetry Slam, before winning in 2008 at the Sydney Opera House.[8] He went on to win the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam in 2009.[9]

Musa has published four books of poetry: The Clocks,[10] Parang,[11] Millefiori,[12] and Killernova.[4] Much of Musa's early work deals with the themes of migration, Australian racism, violence, masculinity, and loneliness.[1] Meaning "machete" in Malay, Parang deals with his Malaysian heritage, migration, and loss.[11]

He has performed and collaborated with numerous musicians and hip hop artists, including Kae Tempest,[13] Horrorshow, Kate Miller-Heidke, L-FRESH the LION,[14] Marc E. Bassy, Lior, Hau Latukefu from Koolism, Joelistics, The Last Kinection, Daniel Merriweather, Mantra, Akala, and Soweto Kinch.[15]

Musa's debut novel Here Come The Dogs was published by Penguin Books (Australia) in 2014.[16] The story centres around the lives of three disaffected young men in small town Australia.[16] The Guardian Australia described the work as examining "race, identity and the unrealised dreams of disempowered Australian youths".[17] The Los Angeles Times called the novel "rousing" and "searing", and said that "with compassion and urgency, Here Come the Dogs excavates the pain of those who struggle to remain part of a ruthless equation that has been determined by others."[18] Here Come the Dogs was nominated for numerous awards, such as the Miles Franklin Award[5] and the International Dublin Literary Award,[6] and won the People's Choice Award at the ACT Book of the Year Awards.[19] Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Novelists of the Year and short-listed for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards in 2015.[20]

In 2017, Musa released Since Ali Died, a full-length hip hop album featuring Sarah Corry, Amali Golden and Tasman Keith.[21] In 2018, he created a one-man play, Since Ali Died, based upon the album, that premiered at Griffin Theatre in Sydney, Australia.[22]

While visiting family in Borneo, Musa attended a woodcutting workshop and quickly became enthralled with the artform.[23] Musa's fourth collection of poetry, Killernova, also features his woodcuts.[24]

Bibliography[edit]

Books[edit]

  • The Clocks (2009)
  • Parang (2013)
  • Here Come the Dogs (2014)
  • Millefiori (2017)
  • Killernova (2021: Australia, Penguin) (2022: UK, Broken Sleep Books)

Plays[edit]

  • Since Ali Died (2018)

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Details
World Goes to Pieces
Since Ali Died
  • Released: December 2017
  • Label: Moneykat Music
  • Format: CD, Digital download, streaming

Extended plays[edit]

Title Details
The Massive EP
  • Released: 2009
  • Label: Omar Music (OBM001)
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Dead Centre
  • Released: 2016[25][26]
  • Label: Big Village (BV019)
  • Format: CD, Digital download, streaming

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Sebag-Montefiore, Clarissa (17 February 2016). "Omar Musa, Australia's star slam poet, brings 'in-betweener' perspective to US". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ Skidmore, Maya (28 April 2022). "How hip-hop poet Omar Bin Musa discovered a garden of delights through his cultural heritage". Time Out. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ Hall, Hannah (1 February 2017). "Hannah Hall Interviews Omar Musa". Cordite. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Omar Musa: Killernova". Penguin. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Miles Franklin Literary Award longlist 2015: Omar Musa, Suzanne McCourt and Christine Piper hit it big with debut works". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Omar Musa: 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year". Australian National University. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Maxine Beneba Clarke, Alice Pung, Ellen Van Neervan, Omar Musa, Michael Mohammed Ahmad are 2015 Best Young Australian Novelists". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Poetry Slam comes down to a 'Slam-off'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  9. ^ Mordue, Mark. "Omar Musa". Neighbourhood. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  10. ^ "The clocks / by Omar Musa". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Omar Musa: Parang". Penguin. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Omar Musa: Millefiori". Penguin. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Omar Musa". ABC. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  14. ^ Fuamoli, Sosefina (5 August 2016). "Omar Musa opens up on his new EP, Dead Centre, and his return to music after time out of the hip hop scene". The AU Review. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Omar Musa". internationales literaturfestival berlin. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Omar Musa: Here Come The Dogs". Penguin. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  17. ^ Lee, Nicole (22 July 2014). "Here Come the Dogs by Omar Musa review – street poetry committed to the page". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  18. ^ "Review: Omar Musa brings Australian hip-hop, poetry and subculture to the US in 'Here Come the Dogs'". Los Angeles Times. 14 January 2016.
  19. ^ "Henshaw, Musa take Book of the Year honours". Riotact. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  20. ^ "NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2015 shortlists announced". Books + Publishing. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Omar Musa "Since Ali Died" new album out now". All Aussie Hip Hop. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Since Ali Died review | Theatre in Sydney". Time Out Sydney.
  23. ^ Cousins, Lucy E (12 August 2022). "Multi-Faceted Artist Omar Musa On Operating At The Margins". T Australia. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  24. ^ "5 Questions with Omar Musa". Liminal Mag. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  25. ^ Teague, Marcus (4 August 2016). "Omar Musa: Dead Centre review – a vital, if uneven, slice of hip-hop and poetry". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  26. ^ "New album reviews: Omar Musa, Salty, Stoney Joe, Oh Pep! and Blood Orange". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
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