Eslam Jawaad
إسلام جواد
Creative Director
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Lebanese-Syrian
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Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
Lebanese-Syrian rap pioneer turned executive — from The Mammoth Tusk and Wu-Tang circles to running A&R at PopArabia.
Wissam Khodur, known as Eslam Jawaad, is a Lebanese-Syrian rapper and music executive whose career spans Arabic hip-hop's underground years and its industry era. After moving to the UK in 2003 he was signed by Wu-Tang associate Cilvaringz, and his 2009 debut The Mammoth Tusk drew collaborators including Damon Albarn and GZA. A founding member of the Arab hip-hop collective Arap, he later crossed to the business side as Spotify's MENA head of artist and label partnerships before joining Abu Dhabi-based publisher PopArabia as vice president of A&R and acquisitions in 2023 — while still releasing music, including 2025's pan-Arab anthem 'Umaton Wa7ida.'
Languages
Arabic, English
Representation
Independent