Kodor Zaher known by his stage name Karter Zaher ("KZ") is a Lebanese Canadian singer, songwriter, rapper and author.[1][2]

Khodor Zaher
Khodor Zaher
Also known asKarter Zaher (KZ)
BornOttawa, Ontario, Canada
Genreship hop, R&B, Soul
Occupation(s)Songwriter, Rapper & Singer
Websitewww.kzaher.com

Background and education

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Zaher was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario and attended Carleton University, where he met Jae Deen and both started the "Deen Squad" movement.[3] He is a Muslim.[4]

Career

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Karter Zaher is a co-founder of the music duo “Deen Squad” that launched in 2015, along with his partner Jae Deen. [5] The band received notable recognition for adding an “Islamic“ twist to mainstream billboard hits - such as "God’s Plan" by Drake, "Havana" by Camila Cabello, and more.[6][7] Their story was covered by BBC,[8] CNN Arabia,[9] The Fader[10] and other news media.[11][12]

The Deen Squad band reached over 200 million views by creating “Halal Remixes”.[13][6][4]

Zaher was influenced to write and rap by listening to Tupac and Eminem. He played a major role in developing Deen Squad since January 2015 but after his manager Sami Abboud shut him out of the company in May 2019, he became a solo artist and started his own record label named “Holy Sound".[14][15] [16]

Zaher and his band performed for Canada’s 150th year celebration in Toronto and was supposedly the opening act for Justin Bieber on his purpose tour in Dubai.[17][18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Saeed Saeed,"Canadian hip-hop duo Deen Squad on their new release Ramadan Kareem". The National. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  2. ^ Penulis Hutomo,"Mantap, Hijaber Asal Indonesia Jadi Model Video Klip Rapper Kanada". Jadiberita. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Duo Hiphop Angkat Muslimah Inspiratif Lewat Rap". Republika. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Halal Hit-Makers 'Deen Squad' Are Back With A New Anthem For Ramadan". Cairo Scene. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  5. ^ Carmel Kilkenny, "Halal Hip Hop from Ottawa going viral". Rcinet. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  6. ^ a b Ali Asharaf, "Deen Squad – Bringing the youth back to Islam, one rhyme at a time". themuslimvibe.com. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  7. ^ "مغني راب كندي يقدّم أغنية للمحجبات". themuslimvibe.com. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Can Rap be Halal?". BBC UK. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  9. ^ "بالفيديو.. أغنية رجل مسلم لتغيير "الصورة النمطية" ضد المسلمين تحقق انتشاراً واسعاً". CNN Arabia. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Deen Squad on The FADER". The FADER. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  11. ^ Ioanna Roumeliotis, "Deen Squad finds viral video fame with Muslim rap remixes". CBC News. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  12. ^ Rahma Zein El Din, "Karter Zaher And Jae Deen: Halal Hip-Hop". Cairo Scene. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Deen Squad: The Muslim rap duo making waves with their 'halal remixes'". The World Weekly. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Tribute to Christchurch: Muslim hip-hop group Deen Squad release new song". thenational.ae. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  15. ^ Marguerite Ward,"Muslim Rap Duo Deen Squad Crushes Facebook With 'Not A Terrorist' Video". IBN Times. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  16. ^ Olivia Waring, "Muslim Queen is the only remix of Fetty Wap's Trap Queen you'll ever need". Narcity. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  17. ^ Paul Williams, "Toronto Continues Celebration Of 150 Years With Summer Programme Of Free Events". Viestra Magazine. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  18. ^ Ali Daly, "11 Things To Do To Celebrate Canada's Birthday In Toronto". Narcity. Retrieved 11 July 2019.