Mazen: How did you guys get together in the first place?

Big H: Around 2002 I heard Qusai’s first album with a song about Jeddah. So for four years I kept on looking for him, yet couldn’t find him, around 2005 I met MouJax so we started working together. One day I was going out with MouJax and we met Qusai by coincidence, After that Qusai introduced Ahmed to us, then Ashraf came in.

MouJax: I still remember that day Qusai’s cousin introduced him to us as the “real” Don Legend, we checked him out to be the real deal.

Qusai: On the day I sat with Big H and MouJax, Big H told me that he was an entrepreneur businessman who is interested in two things. Cars and music.

Big H: Well regarding cars I was doing quite well, but I was waiting for the right trigger to make the music part happen.

Mazen: Guys I am turning my recorder on. So everything is on record now.

Qusai: I have released my first album in the states around 2002, I came back here on a vacation, where I was asked by Stallions records back then to distribute some records, so I gave them some. When I returned back to the states they contacted me asking for more, since the first batch was all gone, I told them I was willing to send more if I can sign a deal or a contract with them, I needed something in black and white, they never came back to me.

I discovered that the market wasn’t ready yet for this leap, since business was really complicated around here. So I kept on producing in the United States.

Mazen: What made you come back again after that? What changed?

Qusai: I got contacted by a lot of fans asking about my albums and when will they buy them here in Saudi Arabia, so I ended up coming back in 2005, to find a good deal I could work on, plus I was looking for a niche, a unique blend, something that would add to me, and I found it in the group.

Mazen: So you found the right chemistry between you guys.

Qusai: It is all about the chemistry, each one of the team is good at something, and the way we blended in was amazing. of course thanks to Big H who was behind this effort.

Big H: I remember that Qusai told me when we were working on this, that we were too old to do an underground gig, we have to create an officially registered, full-fledge production company.

Mazen: I was just about to ask you about that point, you said the market wasn’t ready back in 2002, so is it ready now?

Qusai: There is a demand for this, and we want to educate the market, there is no right and wrong, there is no experience, so we want to be the first to set an example, and get all the records straight.

Big H: There wasn’t even proper channels back then.

Qusai: when I came back in 2005 I got a culture shock of how things have improved since my last visit.

Mazen: So what changed?

Qusai: Well for one we got the company registered as an official record company, we got all the needed permits and paperwork done through the Ministry of Information. And since music is a universal language we wanted to represent Saudi Arabia to the world as a culture, not the stereotypes the west sees.

Mazen: When was Jeddah Legends born officially?

Big H: We got all the paperwork done by December 2006, so we thought since 2007 was just around the corner, it should mark the birthdate of Jeddah Legends.

Turki: Is Jeddah Legends as a group still open to accept more people as team members?

Qusai: Absolutely, Jeddah legend is a movement, and we are still looking for more team members, we are not only looking for gifted musicians, we are looking for people who are good in business, PR, photography, design, web development, marketing, all that. We also have some affiliates like MoeK, Mind Circus, Dan & Simon, and Big Maze. All these are part of Jeddah Legends.

Mazen: Wolf, I didn’t hear anything from you so far?

Wolf: Guys I just woke up, so it will take me some time to get up to your speed.

Qusai: Ashraf (aka Wolf) is more of an action person, he doesn’t talk a lot, but he make things happen.

MouJax: Ashraf, has a great taste for music, and provides us with the right beats. And he is the one we rely on to tell us if what we create is good, bad, or needs some tweaking.

Mazen: Hip hop has been criticized these days, is it a matter of sending the wrong message?

Qusai: Hip hop has changed just like any other type of music, there are the positives and negatives. So a good question would be, what is going to be televised, what are we going to teach and educate this generation and the next generation.

Are we going to emphasize on the money, the jewelry, the guns, the women, the bling bling. or is there a bigger picture out there. Well yes, there is a bigger better picture.

Look at rap or rapping, rap is something you do, while hip hop is something you live, it’s a way of life. Rap is only one lane in the whole hip hop thing. So we want to teach them that.

Mazen: Is what you’re doing new in any way, and how is Jeddah Legends a movement?

Qusai: I think it is, I even named it “Experimental Edutament”, the music that we are doing is very experimental, but it is catchy, then the other side is edutament which comes from educating and entertaining, Jeddah Legend’s job is to find Arab talents, not only in music.

Our job is to discover, expose, and direct these talents, and take it all to another level, and show the world that “Hey! We got something special here, we don’t need to use the western world as our only source of information”.

Turki: Are you saying your tackling social issues?

Qusai: I don’t want to say that. All am sayin is that we have a voice, and it needs to be heard. As Saudis we have principles, morals, integrity in a culture we are proud of. But that doesn’t mean we should always stay quite about what is realistically right. In other words, if it makes sense to me and it makes sense to you, then who would say it is wrong?

I want my city, my people, my country to look good within and out. We got tired of the stereotypes, we have the right to express what we want to say as long as we know our limits, and try to keep it positive, everybody can be a role model for somebody, but it’s how good of a role model you can be.

Mazen: How can you express that?

Qusai: There are so many ways of expressing that, force, violence, media, education, books, Tv, and music. We chose music. Now we are all humans, we are not perfect and we make mistakes. So if I make mistakes I expect my brother to correct me, if he or she made a mistake, I am here for them to help and support them.

Turki: Your Jeddah song is considered as an anthem for the city of Jeddah, how do you feel about that?

Qusai: I love my city, and that’s why I made that song, now considering it as an anthem is an honor, and I am one of the proud people who got the key to the city of Jeddah. And I know that I represent my city anywhere I go, but I know Jeddah isn’t an angle, it has a lot of flaws and we all know that, but that doesn’t mean I would abandon it, I will do anything to make it perfect and make it a better place for all of us. Everything can be fixed, we need to hear each other and try to work together hand in hand to make Jeddah a better place for you and me, and that’s the whole message behind the movement. Love what you do and do what you love.

Turki: How many albums does Jeddah Legends have at this time?

Big H: Qusai is going to release a new album and it will be featuring Jeddah Legends.

Qusai: Keep in mind that Jeddah Legends is two years old, on the other hand Qusai Don Legend the Kamelion is 15 years old. in order to present Jeddah Legends you have to introduce it properly.

Mazen: So when is your next album coming out, when will we see it in stores?

Qusai: We are shooting for June or July, it is in the mastering stage right now and we are finishing the cover designs. While the video is done. Now if we manage to release it by the end of May then that would be a miracle.

Turki: Any role models from the world of hip hop you look up to?

Qusai: Everybody is a model, every artist influenced us some how some way. And I am not only talking about hip hop, I am talking about pop, Arabic, and any type of music out there.

Turki: What is the basic message you are sending out there?

MouJax: Love what you do and do what you love?

Big H: peace!

Wolf: Freedom.

Bugzy: Action speak loader then words.

Qusai: My brothers said it all. You learn something new every day.

Turki: One last question, what’s your stance on the foul mouthed people who call themselves rappers?

Qusai: They misunderstood… No wait they didn’t misunderstand anything, they only took one element of rap. You can say that almost every hip hop artist or rapper goes through a stage where they would use a lot of profanity. But as you get more experienced and wiser in making music you discover that it’s not about that. You grow out of that whole stage.