When we heard that Sons of Yusuf are dropping an album, the excitement was and still is real! At the start of next year, we’ll be getting more from the duo than we ever expected. As Shaykh The World is expecting a release soon, we sat with brothers Yakoob and Abdulrahman Al Refaie to catch up on their latest endeavors in the music world.
The origin behind the name Sons of Yusuf is well known. Ever since Yakoob and Abdulrahman were kids, music was always a huge part of their lives. Their father, Yusuf, was a musician himself, hence the name, and as Yakoob tells us “That was our atmosphere at home, music since day one.” They saw themselves immersed in that world, and kept building it up until this very moment.
So far, Sons of Yusuf have only released singles, from “Hala” (We Dem Boyz Arabia Remix) to their 2018 number one hit “One Time” which achieved so much success in Kuwait as well as regionally. But, for the past three years, the duo who are based in both K-town and California have been working on their album Shaykh The World.
The title of the album is a wordplay on Sheikh and Shake, it’s inspired from their father who told them to, “…shake the world”. But, it is also inspired by the Islamic Golden Age, “Back then, when Arabs were in Spain, or back when technology was born, we shook the world in terms of art, music, fashion, technology, all of that is there, no one could deny it. We pushed that, so we’re just bringing that concept back,” explains Yakoob.
Sons of Yusuf are not only giving us their first album, but they have also launched their very own record label, Astrolabe Records. The name of the record follows the same concept as the album itself, the notion of going back in time to our ancestors, where our history was pushing itself towards positive outcomes. As they’ve preached on their single “One Time” where they said, “We gotta be strong, they want to divide us, sell us, don’t know how.”
Pushing the idea of being in constant union is much needed, and that is also what the new album will be addressing. As Yakoob tells us, “We wanna push a good culture and positive energy, positive history. And we’re going deep, we’re talking about things that no one usually talks about; no censorship. Let’s be real, how can we move forward? It’s a different life, we’re in different times now, we all have a major role.”
Shaykh The World is going to feature 12 tracks including collaborations and production from several other artists, Abdulrahman shares his excitement and says “If I was to look back on when I was younger, this would probably be my dream album. I mean, maybe not to other people, but because there are our favorite artists, our favorite producers. We’ve been listening to them since we were kids, and now they’re with us on our album, it’s too surreal.”
Abdulrahamn adds that the album is “Like watching an Arabic Muslim documentary, but with sound.” For example, they have a song called “Diving for pearls” and it’s all about Kuwait’s history during that time, the struggle of the warriors back then, and what brought us here today. The duo truly realize the effect that they have on media, and they are using this point for the youth and people in general.
Being in the music industry is challenging. Even though Abdulrahamn and Yakoob have their own record label, and are working on releasing the new album in January 2020, along with their recently dropped EP, Sons of Yusuf & Shafiq Husayn which includes a dope track called “Rose Water” they have also begun creating a brand new clothing line called The Base. They are going to have a shop unit in Souq Al-Mubarakiya, as well as an online store for this project.
Juggling various things at once, Sons of Yusuf are looking forward to what’s coming next, and an advice Abdulrahman shares with us when it comes to young and aspirational musicians is to simply, “Be yourselves. I realize that a lot of people are trying to be like other people,” and Yakoob continues “Come up with your own sound, we have our own sound and our own colors, so let’s show the world our identity,” So, what are we all waiting for? The time is now, or never.
For updates on new music from Sons of Yusuf, follow their pages on all streaming services. For more information, check out their Instagram page @sonsofyusuf or visit their website on sonsofyusuf.com. Photography by Ghalia Al Refaie.
