July 15, 2005

Bassam Khalaf, the Arabic Assassin

I guess we file this under "when keeping it real goes wrong"?

Houston rapper fired as baggage screener
When Bassam Khalaf raps, he's the Arabic Assassin. His unreleased CD, "Terror Alert," includes rhymes about flying a plane into a building and descriptions of himself as a "crazy, suicidal Arabic ... equipped with bombs."

Until last week, Khalaf also worked as a baggage screener at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

"I've been screening your bags for the past six months, and you don't even know it," said Khalaf, who also said Thursday that he is not really a terrorist and that his rhymes are exaggerations meant to gain publicity.

Andrea McCauley, a spokeswoman for the regional Transportation Security Administration office in Dallas, said the agency checks criminal records before hiring screeners, but it does not investigate what people do in their spare time. "We have eyes and ears in the workplace," McCauley said. "Once we discovered these Web sites, we fired him."

An Internet search of Khalaf's name brings up Web sites that feature his obscene, violent and misogynistic raps that threaten to fly a plane into a building on Sept. 11, 2005.

Khalaf, 21, was hired on Jan. 16 and fired July 7, according to a TSA termination letter that cited his "authorship of songs which applaud the efforts of the terrorists on September 11th, encourage and warn of future acts of terrorism by you, discuss at length and in grave and alarming detail various criminal acts you intend to commit, state your belief that the U.S. government should be overthrown, and finally warn that others will die on September 11, 2005."

Khalaf, who was born in Houston and is of Palestinian descent, said working as a baggage screener was the best paying job he's ever had. He said he hoped to use any extra money he earned to produce his CD.

"I kept my music and my job separate. I told a couple of people who I thought was cool with me at work that I rapped, but I never sat there and told them lyrics or anything," said Khalaf. "I guess somebody probably told them that I had a Web site."

Khalaf said his terrorist-themed rhymes are more about marketing. He called his songs art and pointed to other rappers who have rhymed about terrorism. He specifically cites Eminem's song, "My Dad's Gone Crazy," which discusses blowing everything on the map up except Afghanistan and says: "There's no tower too high, no plane that I can't learn how to fly."

"Controversy sells," Khalaf said. "It brings a lot of attention. Everybody wants to label all Arabics terrorists just because a couple of people messed up. Well, I'm going to play along with that character. I'm going to let you think I'm one."

You can learn all about Bassam Khalaf at his soundclick page, featuring what seems to be a dis record aimed at Matt Sonzala from houstonsoreal (check the second verse). Better raise your alert level, Matt!

Posted by jsmooth995 at July 15, 2005 1:16 AM | TrackBack

Comments

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Posted by: Joey Paesano at July 16, 2005 2:44 PM

Bassam Khalaf,
if it ain't so Racist how come it don't say squat about blowing up brown people?... what about raping a black man?... ever wrote about blowing up your own family?... NO... thats cause you're a racist and don't even know it...Try "marketing" your brand of hate proliferation in pakistan... my money says they'll cap ya in the street

Posted by: fuzzie D at July 17, 2005 11:15 AM

HEY I JUST WANNA SAY BASSAM YOU SEEM LIKE A VERY GOOD GUY KEEP DOIN WHAT YA DOIN.I KNOW HOW YA FEEL IM ARABIC TO U KNOW...JUST KEEP UR HEAD UP...OHH YEA YOUR ONE FIN AZZ MUTHER F***ER LOL..ARE U SINGLE?LOL...J/K WELL PEACE OUT TAKE CARE YALLA BYE

Posted by: ARABIYA at July 18, 2005 6:02 PM

This guy id hilarious. Pay no mind to these ignorant white boys who wanna hate. These losers need to get a life instead of trying to hunt Muslims.Sadly some of hese fools arent white. More power to you Bassam. Peace .Asalam Alaikum.

Posted by: joshua-shahab at July 19, 2005 3:44 PM

Dude, how can you sing these songs about crashing planes and doing bad things to kids if you do not support this? Don't call this entertainment when this is more like acts of terror.

Posted by: Yo at July 20, 2005 9:47 AM

How can any of you sickos talk and laugh about people being murdered. This guy is sicko to the core, trying to make money off of thousands of people being murdered and maimed and orphaned and widowed. I dont care of you are muslim, christian, budist, black, white, asian, arabic, or jewish. You come into my town threating the innocent lives of my children in jest or for real, it will be your last mistake cause you will wake up dead.

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Posted by: aberathna at January 19, 2006 12:57 AM

Dear journalist.....
As a journalist you have to answer this questions?

what do you know about terrorists ?
what do you know about palestinians or arabic people ?
what do you know about hiphop music ?
OkaY .. seems like you got no idea!!

so let me ask you personal question ?

why dont you leave the white american racist journal work , and go join the Play Boy Playmates .

Vincent bashiti .................

Bassam Khalaf keep it up !

Posted by: Vincent Bashiti at March 1, 2006 2:34 PM