Sweet Preserve

These last few days have gone by so quickly. I think this is the first time I’ve had a chance just to sit down and take it all in.

The launch went incredibly well by all accounts. The show opened with an energetic performance from Dubai rap group Desert Heat, who were a last-minute addition to the show after their impromptu post-sound-check performance the night before impressed everyone in the room. Seeing two seasoned rappers spitting hard in Arabic while dressed in the full-on traditional robes wasn’t something I’d ever seen before in my life, but it was definitely something I’d like to see again and the perfect way to start the show.

A lot of people were talking about the significance of launching an MTV channel in the Middle East and what it stands for, and even though I only visited one of the region’s most liberal cities, Dubai, for just a few days, the overall consensus from the people was loud and clear: “We love music.”

 Ludacris music

Music plays a very important part in Arabic culture, and the tastes of the young people there are incredibly eclectic and widespread, from more traditional sounds to a thriving underground hip-hop scene to superstar dance DJs like Erick Morillo, who visits regularly and was there for the opening. Our arrival has been long overdue.

By the time local R&B sensation Karl Wolf came on the stage, all protocol had been thrown out the window and the front five rows were out of their seats and dancing right up by the stage. Earlier, I’d been told that Karl is like the Middle East’s answer to Justin Timberlake, and judging by the screams of some of the girls in the audience, they were probably right.

Then it was time for the big boys. Ludacris came out to the entire 700-strong crowd chanting his name over and over. I remember thinking that I wasn’t sure if the sheikhs sitting at the very back of the room in the royal box had ever seen anything like this. Nevertheless, I’m told they were all smiles and some even got down and sang along. Luda, who also played an integral part in the launch of MTV Arabia, performed a mixture of new and old hits before hanging back offstage to give his take on the new channel and what it means to him to be one of the first major hip-hop stars to perform in the Middle East.

And if that wasn’t enough, it was Akon’s turn. At this point, the crowd was at fever pitch, and with a little coaxing, the full house (including the sheikhs) stood up as Akon took the show home. He certainly did his thing giving the Middle East a taster of what they can expect from him when he returns on tour in a few months.

It was an awesome launch, bringing in a new era to the Middle East, with a vision to one day launch a new internationally successful music star from the region. If you had said that MTV would be launching a channel here 10 years ago, they would have said it was impossible. Not anymore!