FredWreck: Stop War One Song at a Time

FredWreck is one of the hottest music producers in the U.S. today, but it isn’t his fame that immediately draws one to him. His personality is naturally charismatic and open, so it’s easy to see why he’s such a success in the music industry.

Producing some of hip hop’s most popular songs today, FredWreck has worked with music icons like The Doors, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube, 50 Cent, and countless others. In an epic event at the 2011 Grammy Awards, he performed with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre; an act that brought the two hip hop giants onstage together for the first time in over a decade.

If you were to ask FredWreck what it’s like to work with such emblematic musical legends, he would probably shrug it off and simply say that he doesn’t see the musicians he works with as being the world’s most successful musicians. He’s not blinded by their fame. Instead, FredWreck sees them as being kindred souls who love to create music as much as he does. Meshing with his easy-going persona, he works well with a wide variety of musicians and notes that the production process typically goes pretty smoothly—as long as they collaborate on a united front to foster creativity, rather than to generate propaganda, despite the publicity-hungry waves music labels often wish to exert.

FredWreck got his start early in life, finding his love of music through breakdancing and DJ’ing. He began experimenting with different sounds and recording techniques to eventually create a sound that is distinctive and uniquely his. FredWreck lists Dr. Dre, The Bomb Squad, Marley Marl and Mantronix as being among his greatest influences.

One could say his mix tape was in the right place at the right time, as his work was so popular that eventually it ended up in Dr. Dre’s hands. Naturally, Dr. Dre recognizes talent when he sees it, and FredWreck was an instant success.

Named Farid Karam Nassar at birth, FredWreck is living the American dream, but he hasn’t forgotten his Arabic roots. He grew up in the U.S., but his parents are Palestinian, having immigrated to the U.S. in 1967 to flee the Six-Day War.

The Arab world is such a major influence on his work that the United Arab Emirates welcomes him with open arms, for example, bringing FredWreck to the Middle East in 2007 for the launch of MTV Arabia. FredWreck co-hosted Hip HopNa, a talent search program in the Middle East, with Qusai, also known as Don Legend the Kamelion. During the first season, they discovered a number of now-famous Arab rappers, including Desert Heat, Malikah, Asfalt, and Omar Boflot.

While FredWreck is certainly passionate about music, he is arguably more passionate about peace and his native land. He started the STOP (Stop the Oppressive Politics) Movement on April 19, 2003, using music as a vehicle to reach not only his fans, but anyone who would listen.

Ever the creator and of the peaceful mindset, FredWreck wanted to make sure that the world was aware of the human side of the Iraq War and worked to influence global powers to put an end to it. To accomplish this, he partnered with several artists who raised their voices in opposition of the Iraq War through a series of songs. Among those who joined the peaceful protest were Everlast, The Alchemist, Soopafly, Dilated Peoples, Cypress Hill, and Tray Deee.

The first song in the STOP Movement was “Down with Us,” which also became the anthem of the movement.  The second song was “Dear Mr. President,” which was a political message aimed directly at then-U.S. President George W. Bush.

The voices of the talented musicians were no match in comparison to the loud drum beat of the war, and sadly the movement did little to influence its’ outcome. However, FredWreck and the artists that he worked with were applauded for taking a stand to a global audience and coming out against the controversial war. For this brave action, and in addition to FredWreck’s influential and iconic music, he will be always be hailed as a force for not only the arts, but also for peace.