"The greatest teacher is the teacher who possesses the ability to teach others, how to teach themselves " -RaKalid RaKalid is an Egyptian hip-hop artist hailing from the Midwest. Although he was born in Des Moines, Iowa he has lived & been through many places including Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Egypt and his current residence of Tempe, AZ. His experiences living in different places have allowed him to relate to many people and produce music for a wide range of audiences. RaKalid’s Egyptian background strongly influences him as an artist and his music reflects the power and intensity of his people fighting for their freedom during the Egyptian Revolution. His track “Egypt Stand Up” illustrates his uniqueness as a rapper by exhibiting his skill to rap both in English and his native Arabic language. Even his name RaKalid is derived from two Arabic words to mean “Forever Sun.” The name RaKalid can be seen as a testament to the way in which he lives his life. In RaKalid’s world, the sun is forever shining through his optimism and positivity for life. In addition to being extremely passionate and dedicated to music, he always strives to see the best in people. He considers music as a tool to inspire change and influence others. RaKalid’s music is as diverse as him. He has done several collaborations with artists such as Aaron Compton (Wait for me Singer/Producer) and his long time brother/friend/business partner Chino Vegaa. RaKalid’s creativity is shown through his numerous covers for a range of songs like Lupe Fiasco’s “Hip Hop Saved My Life”, DMX “You Could Be Blind”, and Tupac’s “Temptation.” He has created a variety of tracks including some a cappella and has even performed at clubs and local spoken word competitions to showcase his versatility as a rapper and performer. His musical influences are Mos Def, Tupac, Jay-Z, Ahmed Mekky, Lupe Fiasco, and of course Frank Sinatra for his smooth style.