Morad El Khattouti El Horami (
Arabic: مراد الخطوطي,
romanized: Murād āl-Kẖṭūṭī; born 5 March 1999),[1] known mononymously as Morad, is a Spanish rapper and singer. He began his career in 2018 by releasing his first single. In the next year, he released his debut studio album, M.D.L.R. Morad topped the
PROMUSICAE singles charts with the singles "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47" in 2021 and with "Pelele" in 2022.
Morad popularised in Spain the abbreviation "M.D.L.R" (Mec de la Rue, French for "street boy"), used by French
drill musicians of
Maghrebi origin. His 2019 debut album and 2020
extended play were titled MDLR and MDLR 2.0 respectively.[1]
Morad collaborated with Argentine producer
Bizarrap on "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47", which topped the
PROMUSICAE singles chart for two weeks in late December 2021.[4] His song "Pelele" topped the same chart the following month.[5]
Artistry
The source of inspiration for Morad's lyrics comes from his childhood and adolescence experiences and how he moved forward despite
juvenile delinquency and the marginal situation in which he lived. He also boasts about telling the "truth" about the street experiences, such as police abuse.[6]
The rapper confesses that music has made him mature and admits that thanks to music he is known, he can make a living with it and outside his neighborhood they look at him differently. He performs mainly in the drill musical style, a style with features in common with
French rap of Maghrebi origin.[7] He also calls his music something that does not discriminate races.[8]
Personal life
Relationships
In the early hours of 27 June 2021, Morad's ex-girlfriend used the key that she kept from their relationship to break into his apartment on the
Plaça d'Europa and stab his new girlfriend as she slept next to him. By 9 July, the
Civil Guard had found no trace of the attacker's whereabouts.[9] She was convicted in February 2023 and sentenced to nine months in prison; the judge gave a lenient sentence as she believed the attacker was enraged by seeing Morad in bed with another woman.[10]
Legal issues
Morad and a friend were charged with attempted robbery and threats, alleged to have taken place in the
Barcelona neighbourhood of
El Putget i Farró in April 2018. In 2022, the prosecution requested a prison sentence of 21⁄2 years, while the defence said that it was a case of
mistaken identity.[11] The pair were acquitted when the court heard from a police agent that the images of the suspects did not match the accused.[12]
In April 2022, Morad was arrested for not attending a court hearing for driving without a licence.[13] Two months later, he was arrested again for reckless driving without a licence.[14] In July 2022, he was arrested for disrespecting the police when a car he was a passenger in was stopped for passing a red traffic light.[15]
In July 2022, a judge opened a case against Morad for uploading a video of a member of the
Mossos d'Esquadra who had fined him for a parking violation, alongside the false accusation that the police officer was a child abuser.[16]
In October 2022, Morad was arrested on suspicion of having paid young people in La Florida to commit
arson. As part of his
bail conditions, he was not allowed to return to the neighbourhood.[17]
In February 2023, Morad was arrested and bailed in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat for allegedly threatening a police officer.[18]
In May 2023, prosecutors sought a six-year prison sentence for Morad, for allegedly using a
Taser against several Mossos d'Esquadra in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat in July 2021.[19]
Morad is constantly seen wearing
tracksuits over the years in his music videos and concerts.[22][23] In a 2019 interview he said that he would wear a tracksuit if he went to the
Grammy Awards.[3] In 2022, he released the single “Chándal” (
transl. Tracksuit) rapping about wearing tracksuits in different occasions.[24] In 2022, Morad collaborated with
Adidas and launched football jerseys under the concept Adidas x MDLR.[25] After this, he reached an agreement with the brand to sponsor the clothing of the La Florida FC, a club located in the neighborhood where Morad grew up.[26]
^
abcGarrido, Elena (17 February 2022).
"Morad, de La Florida a la fama: Así es el 'chico de la calle' que traspasa fronteras" [Morad, from La Florida to fame: This is the 'street boy' who crosses barriers] (in Spanish). Metropoli Abierta. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Nació el 5 de marzo de 1999 y comenzó a cantar a los 14 años. [He was born on 5 March 1999 and began singing at age 14]
^Fortuny, Ignasi (2 March 2022).
"Morad, absuelto de un intento de robo en 2018" [Morad, acquitted of attempted robbery in 2018]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2022.