It may be shot on a rundown Soviet-era aircraft in the middle of the Umm Al Quwain desert, but the music video for Abu Dhabi rapper Freek's song Wala Kilma is flying high.
The video, directed by Emirati filmmaker Aiham Al Subaihi and released in March 2019, has been viewed more than one million times on YouTube, and the numbers seem to be steadily climbing.
The song, with its anthemic hook, brooding keyboard line and Freek’s adrenalin-pumping flow, has put the Somali artist, who grew up in the UAE capital, in the region's spotlight.
But Freek – born Mustafa Ismail – says both the song and the video first resonated in the UK before coming to the Middle East's attention.
“The video didn’t do so well when we first put it up,” Ismail says. “But then Link Up TV [an influential hip-hop platform in the UK] put it on their social media and people began sharing it like crazy.”
The song landed the artist his debut tour in London and Leicester in December 2019, as well as paving the way for a series of performances in the UAE, including spots at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix After-Race concert, the Cultural Foundation and Sole DXB in Dubai.
Part of the song's appeal – beside its feverish beat and in-your-face attitude – is its hook. Freek repeats the title of the song – which translates to "not a word" – periodically throughout the four-minute track. Raising a finger to his lips, he shushes at people "who didn't believe in what I am doing. And that includes people within and outside of the industry".
And the video seems to match the confrontational flair of the track.
With smoky, almost stroboscopic scenes filmed in the gutted interior of the cargo plane – as well as on top of it and by the landing gear – the aircraft has as much of a starring role in the video as the rapper.
"I was performing there as part of an event by the Sharjah Art Foundation," Ismail says. "I knew it was the perfect location to shoot Wala Kilma's music video. I asked the foundation if we could film there, and they said the permits were still valid for a few more days so I called [Al Subaihi] and we got on it right away."
The abandoned plane – with its cracked windows, corroded exterior and adverts for the Palma Beach Hotel on its sides – is one of Umm Al Quwain’s most peculiar landmarks, sitting beside the Barracuda Beach Resort.
There is a good measure of mystery surrounding the origins of the aircraft, a Soviet-era Ilyushin IL-76.
“We went there one day before the shoot, and I took a look at the place, deciding on how to set up the lighting, the shots and how best to frame the video,” Al Subaihi says.
The filmmaker – who has directed a number of projects, including the 2018 short film Forthcoming, about a martial arts-fighting Bedouin couple – said there were a number of challenges that came up during the shoot, namely the lack of time they had to capture the plane scenes.
“We had a skeletal filming crew of about five people, and we had only a single day to shoot there. Getting on the plane wasn’t easy, either, we had to climb in through the scaffolding. We also had to go through the cockpit and climb on the roof while being careful with all the equipment.”
Al Subaihi notes that there are usually three types of music videos. "Some are driven by stories, others put the lyrics in the forefront, and then there's the kind that concentrates on hype. Wala Kilma was essentially a hype video. We wanted to take a number of shots in odd and eye-catching places with [Ismail] rapping towards the camera."
Al Subaihi has worked with Ismail on four music videos. The Emirati filmmaker says he is looking forward to working with the rapper on future projects.
“We were friends before we worked on the project. Working with a friend can have many upsides. [Ismail’s] musical talent and my experience with filmmaking seems to merge really well together. He trusts my vision and visual sensibility with each project, and I appreciate that.”
As with many who work in the entertainment industry, a number of Al Subaihi’s upcoming projects have halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the filmmaker isn’t letting that impede his creative process, instead taking the time to work on scripts and concepts.
Ismail, too, has had a number of projects and performances derailed by the pandemic. The rapper was set to perform at Mother of the Nation in Abu Dhabi in March. The festival was cancelled in line with restrictions put in place to thwart the spread of Covid-19.
“That same month, I was supposed to fly out to Riyadh for a performance there. Everything was already booked, flight, hotels, all of that. I was also supposed to meet with the Saudi rapper Lil Eazy to shoot a music video for a track we did together.”
However, now Ismail is celebrating the milestone he has recently set with his YouTube video. “It’s my first million,” the rapper says, promising to keep pushing out material to ensure that the views maintain their upward trajectory.
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Company%20Profile
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Godzilla%20x%20Kong%3A%20The%20New%20Empire
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
