Hussam Al Rassam
and the real name Hossam Mahmoud Hashim
born 29 March 1978
in Hilla, Iraq is an Iraqi singer who has become a known
singer post the 2003 Iraq war. He is credited for being the first Iraqi singer
to debut in the post Saddam Hussein era.
He started his career as a singer fairly young but did not
have much success until later in life with his album Al Agrobah (The Scorpion).
After a successful single, he started to sing for free in the hunting club to
gain popularity, figures Al-Rassam joined forces with Abbas Chechan, a popular
Iraqi poet, and recorded new singles based on Chechan's poems. One such single
was made by Al Rassam featuring three other Iraqi singers for the Iraq national
football team, Jeeb El Kass which in English means bring the trophy/cup. It
became the official song for the team and was played when Iraq won the 2007
Asian Cup.
Al Rassam continued working with various poets including
Chechan, and recorded songs about the situation in Iraq, which allowed him to
gain national attention in Iraq and with Iraqis abroad with songs like "Mo
Ghalawo" ("So They Said") and "Endee Watan" ("I have a nation").
He has toured in Australia and various countries in the
Middle East, and in December 2007, he toured the United States.