Abdulrahman Al-Sahaf, also known as Wrista, is a 20 year old hip hop sensation from Bahrain that use music as a healing experience.
Despite being from Bahrain, a wealthy island in the Middle East, Wrista consider himself a citizen of the world because music has no boundaries whatsoever.
His music focuses on raw emotion and could be understood by anyone who’s been through hardship in life. Hurdles and roadblocks that played a role in defining and developing his ‘hustler mentality’. Thanks to his mindset he was indeed able to obtain a university scholarship studying public relations, become a presenter for a national TV station, a Fiverr pro that has done unlimited voice-overs for successful Youtube channels amassing tens of million views and most importantly become a music sensation in his country and the whole Gulf region.
Wrista started taking music seriously at the age of 15. Loved hip hop since he was a child and the first rap track he ever heard was ‘Changes’ by Tupac. What a start, right ?!
His sister played it for him on her speakers and he asked her who the artist was. Her reply was “simply the greatest rapper ever’ – he was 6 years old when he heard that and Wrista eventually made that his life mission: to be known as one of the greats.
When I asked him what’s the root of his music creation process and where his inspiration comes from, Wrista replied:
“When it comes to inspiration, for me, it’s all about my experiences in life. Everything from severe sadness, ultimate happiness and everything in between. All of these emotions are potential songs. To me, music is a therapeutic platform. I take real life experiences I go through in life and morph them into audio frequencies, in hopes it resonates with people. I make music to heal myself, whilst healing other people. I speak on relatable topics, which can provide a sense of comfort to the listener. If i go through a sad situation, i turn on my studio equipment and make a song about it. If I’m feeling happy, I do the same. I convey all of these emotions through my music in hopes it resonates with people and makes their lives better, even if it’s to a small degree. That’s my inspiration.”
I could easily see through his eyes how the hurdles of the past have shaped his path through the music industry and I understood why his fans are so passionate about him and his career. I asked Wrista what are his goals and plans for helping others and he replied:
I’m thinking of partnering with some sort of mental health awareness institution/hotline however I am yet to find an ideal one. I want people who are scarred to hear the track and feel like a part of them is better, even if it’s small. I want to help hear the
Wrista is a genuine and talented music artist who deserve the recognition he is obtaining around the world. To know more about him and to follow his path while impacting millions of listeners, check his Instagram: @wristamusic