Mahmoud Abdulaziz ( ar, محمود عبد العزيز, 16 October 1967 – 17 January 2013,

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

) also transcribed as Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and affectionately known as ''Elhoot'' or ''Al-hoot'' (''The Whale''), was a popular Sudanese singer-songwriter. Called "Sudan's idol of the youth”, he was a central figure for Sudanese music fans, opposing the military government of the day.

Life and artistic career

Mahmoud Abdulaziz was born in the

Bahri Bahri ( ar, بحري) is a masculine Arabic given name, Bahri is also a surname in Punjabi Khatri families of India. Given name * Huseyin Bahri Alptekin (1957-2007), Turkish artist * Bahri Tanrıkulu (born 1980), Turkish taekwondo athlete Surname ...

district of

in 1967, and died in hospital in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

in January 2013. His music was a blend of modern urban music from Sudan and Western

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

, with occasional other

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

influences. Even though his songs were banned on Sudan's national television and radio during the years of

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

-inspired ''Public Order Laws'', when many singers, artists and politicians had to flee the country, because of conservative religious intolerance against popular music, Abdulaziz stayed in Sudan and continued to perform, risking arrest. At the time of his death, he had become a symbol for those wanting a more secular and less repressive Sudan. Abdulaziz recorded more than 30 albums, widely available in Sudan on cassette tapes or

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

CDs. Several of the many YouTube videos with his music have more than one million views. An example for his great popularity is the attendance of several tens of thousands of his fans at the fourth anniversary of his death in Khartoum in January 2017.

Trivia

During a concert, a disabled fan, who could not get as close to the stage as he would have wanted, sought to catch the attention of his idol, and started waving his hands. This worked, and Abdulaziz mimicked his movements, and also came to greet the fan. Later, it became habitual for the artist to greet his devoted fans in this way, at every concert. Subsequently, crossed arms with index fingers pointing outwards became his symbol, and was in turn taken up by other fans. Even on his deathbed, Mahmoud was photographed in this pose.

Select Discography

;Albums * 1994: ''Khalli Balak'' * 1995: ''Sakat Al-Rabab'' * 1996: ''Jawab lilbalad'' * 1996: ''Seb enadak'' * 2001: ''qaed al istul'' * 2002: ''Fi bali'' * 1998: ''lahib alshoug'' * 2000: ''Noor Alain'' * 2000: ''alaa alnajeela'' * 2000: ''ma tishly ham'' * 2001: ''ash man shafak'' * 2001: ''bartah liek'' * 2002: ''Shail Jarrah'' * 2002: ''Aktubi eli'' * 2003: ''adaat sanna'' * 2005: ''marat alayam'' * 2005: ''saab albalad'' * 2005: ''Khof alwajaa'' * 2007: ''Alhaneen'' * 2008: ''ya zoul ya tieb''

References

External links

Mahmoud Abdulaziz discography
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

YouTube mix list

Facebook fan page

Obituary in Arabic about Mahmoud Abdulaziz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulaziz, Mahmud 20th-century Sudanese male singers 1967 births 2013 deaths 21st-century Sudanese male singers

Life and artistic career

Trivia

Select Discography

See also

References

External links