If this is your first time hearing the name of this Philadelphia producer, consider this an advance notice. With a variety of upcoming projects scheduled for release in 2010, the Soulful Hip Hop producer is sure to make an impression with what seems to be a promising career. Aashir Nuri began to experiment with the art of beating making while a student at the University of Pittsburgh. He began to gradually develop his craft while balancing music with the everyday struggles of being a broke college student. Aashir Nuri would go on to spend the next few years shopping his beat CDs to artists, A&Rs, and record labels in the music industry. Although, he came very close to getting placements with major label artists, the conversations with the artists and their management fell through. That’s when Aashir realized that shopping his beat CDs around was not the best approach to establishing himself as a producer.

Aashir Nuri changed his approach to an organic one and began to work on projects with local artists, the first being his brother, Long Live. At the top of 2008, Aashir linked up with a Philadelphia Emcee by the name of Aquil. The two met while attending Temple University. Later, Aashir and Aquil would both map out a plan to release Aquil’s first CD. Since connecting with Aquil, Aashir has gone on to do projects and songs with other Philadelphia Artists such as Weldon Merrial, Prosser, and Charlie K. (of the group Writtenhouse). Using his writing skills as a means for exposure, Aashir became a freelance journalist and had the pleasure of interviewing prominent Hip Hop artists and legendary musicians such as Beanie Sigel, Denaun Porter, Black Ice, DJ Z-Trip, Monie Love, Gamble and Huff, and Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek (Reflection Eternal).

Aashir’s belief in himself and his musical talents led him to make one of the toughest decisions of his life. In March of 2008, he quit his job of working for the City of Philadelphia and never looked back. Aashir recalls that “the decision to quit was not an easy one. You’re talking about a total sacrifice of stable income in exchange for unstable dreams”. That decision seems to be paying off, however. With the free time gained, Aashir was able to continue to develop his craft as a producer and take music more seriously. In addition to focusing on music, Aashir exploited his journalism and computer programming skills to create this entire website.

Five Favorite Albums:
1. Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest
2. Only Built for Cuban Links by Raekwon the Chef
3. Moment of Truth by Gang Starr
4. Reflection Eternal by Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek
5. Uptown Saturday Night by Camp Lo

Five Musical Influences:
1. Life and all of the wonderful good / bad experiences that come with it.
2. My people
3. All of the genres of music before Hip Hop (Jazz, Soul, Rock, Funk, etc.)
4. KRS-ONE
5. DJ Premier and J Dilla

Five Things Planned for the Future:
1. To free my mind and have peace of spirit!
2. To become a scholar and re-study all the sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Astrology, etc.), then use that knowledge to build. Yes, I am serious.
3. To change Hip Hop forever by working with superb artists who have a message in their music that will cause a mind revolution.
4. To start a family and produce many Aashir Nuri’s.
5. To go on a “music binge”, producing about 7 albums in one year and releasing them over a course of 3-4 years.

What is your zodiac sign and the characteristics associated with it?

I am a Gemini, which means that I am a thinker. Often times you will find me sitting in a room full of people thinking and just ignoring everything that’s going on around me. Another characteristic of mine is that I am a communicator. I think that’s evident when you see the long list of friends that I’ve acquired. However, communication is not just socializing, it’s spreading a message, and I try my best to communicate and spread a message through my music. I am communicating to the soul.

How would you like to be remembered?

I would like to be remembered as someone who was sincere in everything that I’ve done. I would like to be remembered for my kindness, my peaceful spirit, my knowledge and wisdom and my warrior spirit. I would like to be remembered as a warrior that never quit and achieved all of his goals and dreams, not just for himself, but for the world.