Their R&B/Hip-hop/Rap/soul music takes influences from their various backgrounds (Arab, Pakistani, and Latin music), and although their songs are primarily in English, they usually feature lyrics in Spanish, Urdu, Arabic, and Danish. All these influences make the music of Outlandish somewhat unique and this is easy to notice from the variety of genres covered in their albums. Outlandish often include themes about Islam and contemporary issues facing young Muslims in the west in their music, and sometimes their songs define a nasheed-like unique genre.
So far they have produced four albums: Outland's Official (2000), Bread & Barrels of Water (2003), Beats, Rhymes & Life (2004) and Closer Than Veins (2005).
Last November 2006 Outlandish won the MTV EMAs as a best danish act of the year, the same month as the creation of their new fan-site Elmoro4Life.com
Ill Kebab
Outlandish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When all I try to be is so strong
Don't want me to maintain
Please stop messing with my brain my baby
Bridge:
Ohohoh
Yeahyeahyeah
Ohohoh
Yeahyeahyeah
Let's break it down – baby break it down
Chorus:
I gotta bad name
Being the bad man I am
Doing bad thangs
Hang around with my bad friends bad clan
Doing bad stuff
Me and u all the same
Time to get rough
Quien lo hizo no lo se
No fui yo, pero al final
La historia me absolverá
Porque no estuve yo en el lugar
De todos lados me disparan
Los malos hábitos se acaparan
A mis errores ellos me amarran
No solo tengo cosas malas
Soy humano igual que todos
No soy perfecto igual que todos
Vulnerable como todos
Quiero que me traten como a todos
Quien tiene la respuesta
Por que no comprendo lo que hacemos
En el fondo yo soy bueno
Quien lo hizo nunca sabremos
(Translated)
Who did it?
I don't know
It wasn't me, but at the end
The history will absolve me
Cuz I wasn't at the current place
From all sides I get blamed
And the bad habits can be monopolized
To my errors they attach me
Like if I only have bad things
I'm human, like everyone
Not perfect, like everyone
Vulnerable, like everyone
I just want to be treated like everyone
Who got the answer?
Cuz I don't get what we're doing
In the bottom, I'm good
And who did it, we'll never know
Bridge…
I'm feeling low so u know I got to go
I can't stay any more
No longer will I mourn
I feel the rain and the pain creeping under my skin
U ain't my friend cause u haven't been where I've been
I've been places seen faces
Unsolved cases
Kids on streets with no shoelaces
So how the hell u gonna go of by telling me
It's gonna be alright
So please let me go
Isam B let em now
Chorus…
Boo be calling me like what ever she wants
As long as she don't call me home
Mamma wouldn't like that
Cuz that's a no no
So say my name is mo
And let's do this happy hour on a low
See my real name be Muhammad
But nobody really has to know
But anuff's said and let's do this right
In your crib by the TV-light
Get u real high screaming my name
Dreaming bout me while u're doing your man
Thinking that I might come back to u
But I lied to – played u cool
Girl stop calling me – u better step
See u did it – just to get a rep
The song "Ill Kebab" by Outlandish deals with issues of social stigma and the pressure to conform to society's expectations. The lyrics reveal the struggles of an individual who feels ostracized and misunderstood by others who judge him based on his past or appearance. The person expresses his frustration with being treated unfairly and being blamed for things he did not do. He also speaks about his desire to be treated as a human being deserving of respect.
The song's melody is an upbeat fusion of hip hop, reggae, and Middle Eastern music styles. The bridge and chorus of the song have a celebratory vibe and encourage freedom and self-expression. The bridge invites the listener to let loose and dance until the early morning, while the chorus highlights the importance of being independent and not conforming to others' negative expectations.
The verses of the song are sung primarily in Spanish and Arabic, which adds to its multicultural appeal. The use of language also emphasizes the importance of being inclusive and tolerant of cultural differences in society. The lyrics are delivered with passion and emotion, making it a powerful anthem for anyone who feels marginalized or misunderstood.
Line by Line Meaning
Why u treating me so wrong
Asking the reason for mistreatment
When all I try to be is so strong
Trying to be strong despite the mistreatment
Don't want me to maintain
Preventing from maintaining oneself
Please stop messing with my brain my baby
Asking to stop playing mind games
I gotta bad name
Having a bad reputation
Being the bad man I am
Acknowledging being a part of bad actions
Doing bad thangs
Participating in bad behaviors
Hang around with my bad friends bad clan
Associating with a group of people with bad reputation
Doing bad stuff
Engaging in negative actions
Me and u all the same
Addressing the similarity in behavior
Time to get rough
Preparing to face the consequences
Quien lo hizo no lo se
Questioning who is responsible
No fui yo, pero al final
Claiming innocence
La historia me absolverá
Believing that history will prove innocence
Porque no estuve yo en el lugar
Explaining absence from the scene
De todos lados me disparan
Feeling blamed from all directions
Los malos hábitos se acaparan
Acknowledging bad habits
A mis errores ellos me amarran
Being stuck with one's own mistakes
No solo tengo cosas malas
Not being defined by one's negative attributes
Soy humano igual que todos
Being human like everyone else
No soy perfecto igual que todos
Not being perfect like anyone else
Vulnerable como todos
Being vulnerable like anyone else
Quiero que me traten como a todos
Desiring to be treated equally
Quien tiene la respuesta
Questioning who has the answer
Por que no comprendo lo que hacemos
Confused about our actions
En el fondo yo soy bueno
Believing in one's own goodness
Quien lo hizo nunca sabremos
Accepting that the truth might never be known
I'm feeling low so u know I got to go
Feeling low and needing to leave
I can't stay any more
Unable to stay longer
No longer will I mourn
Choosing to move on
I feel the rain and the pain creeping under my skin
Feeling emotional and physical pain
U ain't my friend cause u haven't been where I've been
Feeling misunderstood due to different experiences
I've been places seen faces
Having seen different things
Unsolved cases
Referring to unresolved issues
Kids on streets with no shoelaces
Observing the hardships of life
So how the hell u gonna go of by telling me
Feeling frustrated by advice from someone who lacks understanding
It's gonna be alright
Being told that things will be okay
So please let me go
Requesting to be left alone
Isam B let em now
Directing a specific person
Boo be calling me like what ever she wants
Being called by a nickname
As long as she don't call me home
Avoiding getting in trouble with family
Mamma wouldn't like that
Expecting disapproval from one's mother
Cuz that's a no no
Something that is not allowed
So say my name is mo
Using a different name
And let's do this happy hour on a low
Drinking while keeping it secret
See my real name be Muhammad
Revealing real name
But nobody really has to know
Keeping it a secret
But anuff's said and let's do this right
Saying enough and doing things appropriately
In your crib by the TV-light
Being in someone's home in a relaxed environment
Get u real high screaming my name
Getting intoxicated and being loud
Dreaming bout me while u're doing your man
Being fantasized about
Thinking that I might come back to u
Being uncertain about the future
But I lied to – played u cool
Deceiving and acting indifferent
Girl stop calling me – u better step
Being annoyed and asking for space
See u did it – just to get a rep
Being used for reputation gain
Contributed by Aiden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.