Halal Gang
{{Short description|Canadian hip hop collective}}
{{notability|Music|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Halal Gang
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| genre = Canadian hip hop
| years_active = 2010–present
| label =
| associated_acts = {{hlist|Prime Boys|Big Lean|Giggs|AJ Tracey|Jay Whiss}}
| current_members = Puffy L'z
Safe
Young Smoke
HG Paperboy
878 Omelly
Mustafa the Poet
| past_members = Smoke Dawg (deceased)
MO-G
| website = {{URL|https://halalgangmerch.bigcartel.com/}}
}}
Halal Gang is a Canadian hip hop collective based in Toronto, Ontario. The name stems from the preponderance of the group having Muslim origins with East African and Caribbean Canadian roots. Initially the group is said to have stemmed out from a gang participating in criminal activity. The group was established in 2010 as a group of youths from Regent Park inspired to make music. Its original incarnation includes Puffy L'z. Mustafa the Poet, Mo-G, Safe and Smoke Dawg.
Background
=2010-2017=
Although initially the group is said to have stemmed out from a gang participating in criminal activity with the rivalry between Toronto gang Sick Thugz which ended with the passing of Sick Thugz member Ruck, Halal Gang branched out to making music in 2010. The rap group is notable for their identifying trademark exclamation, "AWOLAYY" as well as "SQUAAAD", which is primarily done by Puffy L'z. Halal Gang mostly shoots videos in bustling parts of Toronto's financial district, as well as other communities such as the Yorkville area to 'flex' on mans, given its highly-affluent and desirability to show off money.{{fact|date=November 2023}}
Mustafa the Poet produces spoken word poetry from the group including the release Spectrum of Hope in September 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBpPEI5DmE|title=Spectrum of Hope|via=www.youtube.com}} He was featured on CBC News in which he explores the connection between art and athletics in his Pan Am poem with Heather Hiscox.{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/toronto-teen-mustafa-ahmed-honours-his-hero-muhammad-ali-with-poem-1.3618114| title = Toronto teen Mustafa Ahmed honours his hero Muhammad Ali with poem {{!}} CBC News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3D0pRf2C4Q|title=Pan Am poet laureate: Mustafa Ahmed|via=www.youtube.com}} Halal Gang gained recognition in 2014 with the release of "Rabba" by members Mo-G and Smoke Dawg, released on October 4, 2014. It garnered over 1 million views within a month of release.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/halal-gang-set-the-record-straight/|title=Halal Gang Set the Record Straight|first=Amani Bin|last=Shikhan|date=July 9, 2018}} This was two days before close friend Ano passed away. Mo-G and Smoke Dawg uploaded the song Still to YouTube in January 2015. In it, the two rappers and their friends rap, dance, and laugh in shadowy parking lots, fluorescent-lit apartment corridors, and an empty studio. Although the initial upload was deleted, it's reupload amassed over 4 million views within a year of being online.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2L4fqD980Y|title=Mo G x Smoke Dawg - Still|via=www.youtube.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2017/03/06/puffy-lz-riri-halal-gang|title=Watch Puffy L'z New Video For "Riri" And Get To Know Toronto's Halal Gang|website=The FADER}}
Member Safe was born in Abu Dhabi but immigrated to Toronto as a child. He released the single Feel that differs heavily from the sound of his fellow crew members’ music and features members of Halal Gang on August 12, 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2751598/toronto-world-drake-halal-gang/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311222545/http://www.mtv.com/news/2751598/toronto-world-drake-halal-gang/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 11, 2016|title=Toronto World: Drake, Halal Gang, and the Diaspora in the 6|author=MTV News Staff|website=MTV News}} ASAP Ferg brought out Smoke Dawg in his 2016 tour in Toronto.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDXh8h1ALJk|title=ASAP Ferg bring outs SMOKE DAWG of Halal Gang ( Toronto,Canada)|via=www.youtube.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/toronto-music-community-mourns-after-smoke-dawg-reportedly-shot-and-killed/|title=Toronto Music Community Mourns After Smoke Dawg Reportedly Shot and Killed|first=Noisey|last=Canada|date=July 2, 2018}}
Puffy L'z and Smoke Dawg released a Fire In The Booth on March 14, 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l15MnJWkec|title=Fire in the Booth – Smoke Dawg and Puffy L'z (Halal Gang)|via=www.youtube.com}} The pair alongside Zahn, Mo, Siv. "TP" Nap, A "Pissy" P, Renshiz and Bandb performed 15 dates on Drake’s Boy Meets World European Tour in the same year.{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/news/68905-drake-announces-2017-europe-tour/ | title=Drake Announces 2017 Europe Tour | work=Pitchfork | date=October 10, 2016 | access-date=October 10, 2016 | author=Yoo, Noah}} This group would later become viral on the internet for their prank on the famous indigenous hip-hop dancer and rapper J. Rebel.{{Cite web |date=2017-09-27 |title=Watch Out Drake! Singing Toronto Rapper J-Rez releases Debut Single Summer Breeze |url=http://muskratmagazine.com/watch-drake-singing-toronto-rapper-j-rez-releases-debut-single-summer-breeze/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=MUSKRAT Magazine |language=en-US}}
= 2018-present =
Puffy L'z, Mo-G and Safe returned to music in early 2019. In May 2019, Safe released his full-length album Stay. The 12 tracks were characterized by cool R&B with elements of dancehall and afrobeat. QUIN and Playboi Carti were the only featured artists.{{cite web | url = https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/safe-unleashes-his-latest-project-stay-ft-playboi-carti-and-quin-new-mixtape.119127.html | title = SAFE Unleashes His Latest Project "STAY" Ft. Playboi Carti & QUIN | publisher = Hot New Hip Hop | last = A. | first = Aron | date = 10 May 2019 | access-date = 14 May 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/puffy_lz-take_no_lz|title=Puffy L'z Take No L'z|website=exclaim.ca}} On his return, Puffy L'z released his debut album Take No L'z.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/06/15/giggs-puffy-lz-front-gate|title=Giggs and Toronto's Puffy L'z link up on "Front Gate"|website=The FADER}} which also featured Safe and the late Smoke Dawg.{{Cite web|url=https://respect-mag.com/2019/07/exclusive-interview-toronto-rapper-puffy-lz-talks-new-music-working-with-giggs-more/|title=Exclusive Interview: Toronto Rapper Puffy L'z Talks New Music, Working With Giggs & Mentions that HE IS SOMALI|date=July 17, 2019}}
On 17 March 2019, Mustafa the Poet released the short film titled Remember Me, Toronto. The film featured numerous Toronto rappers including Drake, Baka Not Nice, Pressa, Jay Whiss, Puffy L’z amongst others and was scored by 40.{{Cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2019/03/drake-featured-mustafa-the-poet-short-film-remember-me-toronto-gun-violence|title = Drake Featured in Mustafa the Poet's Short Film on Toronto's Gun Violence|website = Complex Networks}} Mustafa stated that he decided to work on the film after thinking about how his dead friends want to be remembered, after thinking about how we all want to be remembered. He created this for the artists in this video those in the Toronto community.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/B0Ybkw4Kq_Q Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190317231904/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Ybkw4Kq_Q&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Ybkw4Kq_Q&feature=emb_title| title = Remember Me, Toronto | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} Since 2018 after the passing off his older brother Smoke Dawg, Young Smoke began his music career rapping alongside the hip hop collective.{{Cite web|url=https://www.onestowatch.com/blog/young-smoke-gives-new-perspective-to-melodic-trap|title = Young Smoke Gives New Perspective to Melodic Trap on "Block Boy" / Ones to Watch}}
Mo-G released the single Perfect Dark on September 5, 2019. Him, Safe and Lz were featured on 6ixBuzz's compilation album Northern Sound released on December 13, 2019.{{fact|date=November 2023}}
Death of Smoke Dawg
Canadian rapper Smoke Dawg was killed in a shooting in broad daylight in front of a Toronto night club on June 30, 2018. Mayor John Tory blamed the shooting on gun violence and as a result met with the 6ixBuzz team and Director X to meet with members of the hip-hop community to talk gun violence solutions and raise awareness on the issue.{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/john-tory-kardinal-offishall-hip-hop-gun-violence-1.4737713| title = Toronto mayor meets members of hip-hop community to talk gun violence solutions {{!}} CBC News}}{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/smoke-dawg-shooting-1.4730746| title = Questions swirl around Toronto rapper Smoke Dawg's death {{!}} CBC News}}{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8463539/smoke-dawg-shot-killed-in-toronto-report|title=Smoke Dawg Dead: Rapper Shot, Killed in Toronto|date=2018-07-01|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2020-03-03}}