- Words Josephine Amstad
- Photo Credit Sven Scholten
Dutch artist, Sjaak, has plans of going global with his hit “Tropetisto”, which achieved gold status in The Netherlands within a few months.
Mehdi Chafi, known as Sjaak, grew up hanging around the streets of Amsterdam and started making music in his local youth centre in 2007. Initially making big waves in the gangster rap scene, Sjaak recorded one of the most notorious Dutch rap classics of all time “Schijt”, causing outrage amongst Dutch politicians who disapproved of its hardcore lyrics and portrayal of street life.
However, Sjaak swiftly evolved from his early gangster rap days, eventually releasing “Stap voor Stap” which catapulted him into the big leagues. The house-infused party anthem went stratospheric, gaining 21 million Spotify streams and six million views on YouTube.
Now, Sjaak is back with his latest hit “Trompetisto”, with his sights set on going global. The track has already done well in The Netherlands with the humorous video – which sees Sjaak frolicking around an Austrian mountain – climbing to 1.5 million views and counting.
Sjaak has proven his musical versatility, flitting between hard-hitting hip-hop and commercial party anthems with ease – all with a dose of his trademark humour. Not only in music, Sjaak has also proven his adaptability elsewhere and become a household name in Dutch media, starring in major movies and appearing as a guest on many TV and radio shows.
Make sure to listen to Sjaak’s new track “Trompetisto” and see what all the fuss is about.