Hasan Raheem is having a most excellent year. His popularity has exploded online. Even before he could have one release on a major, more mainstream platform, his popularity had travelled across the border into India, where major Bollywood personalities and influencers posted videos online with them lip-syncing or grooving to his music.

He was also featured on the current season of Coke Studio, helmed by Zulfiqar ‘Xulfi’ Jabbar Khan who is currently on a much-needed, well-deserved, rare (considering the workaholic that he is) break on a remote island somewhere. Hasan’s song, Peechhay Hutt, which features the adorable Justin Bibis, garnered several million views, and has firmly placed him on top of Pakistan’s current favourite artists list.

The only one from the newer crop who’s been missing from the scene lately is Shamoon Ismail. Has anyone seen him?

But I digress. Back to Hasan Raheem. On the heels of his Coke Studio success is his latest independent release, Weli Ho, a collaboration between him, Talha Anjum and Abdullah Kasumbi. The song, Weli Ho is a very catchy number and very easy to sing along to. The song begins to programmed eastern percussions — very reminiscent of songs from the early 2000s — to a light, fun strumming of the acoustic guitar. Hasan Raheem sings-raps in his usual easy-going style about yet another facet of young love.

Hasan Raheem’s latest independent release, Weli Ho, a collaboration between him, Talha Anjum and Abdullah Kasumbi, explores yet another facet of young love

The lyrics are somewhat predictable. This comes as a pleasant surprise, but Hasan Raheem is finally not mumbling the lyrics — his enunciation of words is crisp and clear, unlike in some of his previous releases.

We have double vocals layered during the pre-chorus: “Tumhein pyaar se bullaoon ga main/ Har jagah chala aaoonga main/ Saari kahaniyaan tumhein suna ke/ Kaisay khud ko samjhaoon ga main [I’ll call out to you lovingly/ I’ll go anywhere for you/ After telling you all my stories/ How will I convince myself?].”

Interestingly, the double-layered vocals are vocalising two different things. Your mind wanders to what the background voice is saying, you’re tempted to listen again and again to find out what’s being said — alas, it’s not very clear.

Talha Anjum, currently one of the hottest rap artists in Pakistan, brings an element of solid, old-school, gritty, traditional rap delivery to the song. He’s also wooing the protagonist, without the precious airs that Hasan Raheem’s section has.

His sweetest lines in the song are: “Raaton ko hum jaagtay/ Hain torray hum ne raabtay/ Hum bulaatay pyar se/ Yeh larrkay tujhko taarrtay/ Charrh gayi phir khaar tau/ Yeh zindagi bus chaar din/ Muntazir sawal yeh/ Hum rakhtay hain sambhaal ke [I stay up nights/ Even though we’ve broken it off/ I still call out to you/ Those other guys just check you out/ I get angry/ For this is but a four-day existence/ I have questions/ I keep close to my heart].”

Never did I think that Hasan Raheem, creator of sensitive love songs, would be upstaged in a collaboration by an otherwise angsty rapper showing his more gentle, vulnerable side. But in Weli Ho, he is a little bit. In Weli Ho it’s Talha Anjum that stands out.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 17th, 2022