Malik Al Nasir


Malik Al Nasir is a British author and performance poet, born to a Welsh mother and a Guyanese father. He grew up partly with his family in Liverpool and after the paralysis of his father, he was taken into local authority care. He successfully sued the government for neglect, racism and physical abuse whilst in their care, and received a public apology from Liverpool's Lord Mayor.
Malik is the band leader of Malik & the O.G's.
Malik is the author of the book Ordinary Guy under his previous name Mark T. Watson. He is the founder and Chief Executive of UK publishing house Fore-Word Press. Ordinary Guy is a collection of poetry and explanatory prose that spans a period of 10 years within the authors late teens and twenties. The book includes "Malik's Mode" – A foreword by Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of the Last Poets. Ordinary Guy was written in tribute to Gil Scott-Heron & The Last Poets and contains 33 poems along with illustrations and explanatory prose.
Malik also featured in a documentary film about his poetry along with Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets and Benjamin Zephaniah. The film is called Word Up – From Ghetto to Mecca and featured commentary on Malik's work and performance poetry by Malik. Fore-Word Press exclusively screened the film, at Phoenix Cinema, Leicester, as part of the 2011 Black History Month events, which Leicester City Council branded a tribute to the late Gil Scott-Heron.
Malik also wrote and produced two albums of his poetry and songs, Vol. 1 & 2, featuring Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, LL Cool J, Stanley Clarke, Swiss Chris, Rod Youngs, Larry McDonald, and Ms Marie Labropolus. The albums were recorded at Sarm Studios in Reading, Mercredi 9 Studios in Paris and Wyclef Jean's Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York. Mixed by Serge Tsai and mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound New York.
Malik is currently researching the life of Andrew Watson who was the first black footballer in history – and one of the architects of the game of soccer as it is known today – for inclusion in a book about the life of Watson, who came from Guyana in 1860 and ended up captaining Scotland in the 1880s.

Recent biography

In 2006, Malik co-founded Dubai-based production company MediaCPR and its record label MCPR Music. Conceptually MediaCPR wanted to develop clean content in mainstream music, that could entertain listeners without being offensive or explicit. In this context, Malik along with a team of music producers, pioneered a new genre of music which they called "Drum Fusion". The idea was to unite traditional rhythms with contemporary song arrangements and apply positive lyrical content to produce a new style of music, which could be applied to any genre. The drum fusion formula involves developing a full organic sound composition derived exclusively from the use of drum, percussion, the human voice and natural sounds; such as wind, rain, running water etc. The first album to hit the streets using the drum fusion formulae is that of Jamaican master percussionist Larry McDonald. The album is entitled Drumquestra. The concept was developed collaboratively between Malik Al Nasir, who is the executive producer, Larry McDonald himself, who wanted to showcase his 50-year recording career as a percussionist working with everyone from Bob Marley to Taj Mahal and also by producer Sidney Mills from Steel Pulse. Lenny B did a dub-dance remix of one of the tracks off the album called Set the Children Free. The original album version was recorded with Toots & the Maytals The dance remix by Lenny B demonstrated the versatility of Larry's music and how the "Drum Fusion" formula, could cross genre's and be totally relevant to the young, as well as the old traditionalists.
Malik Al Nasir was also co-writer on two tracks on the album . "Peace of Mind" and "Crime Or Music" Featuring veteran ska musician Stranger Cole and reggae drummer Sly Dunbar. Additional percussion on this track was provided by Sticky Thompson of The Wailers and Bongo Herman.
In 2010, Malik Al Nasir graduated with an MA in New Media Production from Liverpool Screen School ; and his thesis piece he created a web-based multimedia software program for genealogical family tree building, called Ancestory. The software allows for the building of interactive multimedia family trees, that can be shared over social networks and authored by the public. Ancestory was probably the first interactive multimedia family tree builder, with social network integration.
Malik also holds a BA Hon's. In Geography & Sociology from Liverpool Hope University and a PgDip in Applied Social Research from The University of Liverpool.
Upon news of the death of his mentor Gil Scott-Heron, in May 2011 Malik Al Nasir flew to New York to attend the funeral services and Malik's band Malik & the O.G's performed a tribute at Liverpool International Music festival 2013 in honour of Gil Scott-Heron. The band included Malik Al Nasir, Orphy Robinson, Rod Youngs, Mohammed Nazam, Paislie Reid, Shaza Tiago Coimbra and engineer Tom Parker.
Malik is a social commentator and has periodically participated in news items on issues relating to refugees, social exclusion, asylum seekers in the UK, social unrest in Liverpool and racism.
In 2013, Malik was asked- along with Fore-Word Press to produce a live show of the world's first rap album Hustlers Convention at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, North London. The event was filmed for the making of a documentary called Hustlers Convention by Director Mike Todd of Riverhorse TV in Manchester UK. The executive producer of the film is Public Enemy's Chuck D. The Hustlers Convention live event was sponsored by Charly Records who re-issuesd a special limited edition of the original vinyl album, to commemorate both 40 years of "The Hustlers Convention" and 40 Years of Charly Records. Malik was the of the film, as well as an interviewee, presenting a segment to camera.
Malik's band Malik & the O.G's featuring Cleveland Watkiss, Orphy Robinson, Rod Youngs & Hawi Gondwe supported Jalal and The Jazz Warriors International Collective, at at the Jazz Café London in 2014.
In Aug 2015 Malik produced a series of tribute events to celebrate the legacy of Gil Scott-Heron in Liverpool including "" at the Liverpool International Slavery Museum for UNESCO International Slavery Remembrance Day, on 23 August 2015. This included from Malik Al Nasir, Tayo Aluko, and Jean Binta Breeze and the Incognito Gospel Choir. Also in partnership with promoter Richard McGinnis "" on 27 August 2015 at St George's Hall, Liverpool Liverpool with Malik & the O.G's, Talib Kweli, Aswad, The Christians, Craig Charles, DJ 2Kind, Sophia Ben-Yousef, Cleveland Watkiss and BBC Radio Merseyside Presenter Ngunan Adamu as the MC. The event was commissioned by Liverpool International Music Festival and was the .
After "The Revolution will be Live" event in Liverpool, Malik Al Nasir was invited to tour Canada with Last Poets founder member Jalal Mansur Nuriddin for Black History Month. Events at in Toronto reached the National press Malik Al Nasir and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin did a series of film screenings of Hustlers Convention for whom Malik was credited as and the film Word-Up featuring Gil Scott-Heron and Jalal Nuriddin, as well as workshops, seminars, school visits and performances in Toronto Ottawa and Mississauga for Black History Month and Malik Al Nasir was invited back to do a further tour in March 2016 further promoting his film Word-Up and performing with his band Malik & the O.G's featuring Ottawa R & B artists Rita Carter.
'The Revolution Will Be Live' again the UK in Nov 2017 with Gil Scott-Heron's former musical director Kim Jordan joining Malik & the O.G's and featured Canadian singer Rita Carter.
Jalal Mansur Nuriddin died on 4 June 2018 and Malik Al Nasir wrote his for The Guardian Newspaper in the UK which was published on Wed 6 Jun 2018.

Radio appearances

YearAlbumLabelArtist
2008Urban GriotMCPR Music UnreleasedRaw UnLtd

Discography

YearAlbumLabelArtist
2015Rhythms of the Diaspora Vol 1. MentiS RecordsMalik & the O.G's Ft. Gil Scott-Heron