The Synaptik

From medical school to rap stardom, Palestinian-Jordanian emcee the Synaptik bridges cultures and classes with his spin on hip-hop and unconventional career path. Bringing the Southern U.S. trap style to Middle Eastern fans, he delivers Arab-centric insight and thoughtful storytelling with his steady, melodic flow and hypnotic, midtempo production inspired by American artists like Travis Scott. Emerging in the 2010s and cutting his chops as a battle rapper in the region’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, he released his solo full-length debut, Om Al Mawjat, in 2018.
Born Laith Hasan, he grew up in Amman, Jordan, where he fell in love with rap music as a teenager. He loved it so much, in fact, that he wanted to pursue it as an actual career. However, his family insisted that he have a professional backup, and so Hasan headed to medical school studying internal medicine. On the side, he continued to dabble in music, penning verses and learning production. When he graduated, he decided to fully commit to hip-hop, adopting a stage name inspired by his fascination with the nervous system and neurotransmitters. While doing his part to boost the local scene, he cut an EP with Emsallam and Liqid (2017′s Duwar Kilo) before issuing a slew of singles the following year. He also released his official debut, Om Al Mawjat, which featured production by DAMAR and WIKIDZ, as well as guests from across the Arab rap world like El Far3i (“Dari”), Abyusif (“Ala Bali”), Bader Azem (“Merameyeh”), and many more. That same year, he teamed with Syrian-Filipino rapper Chyno with a Why? for the globe-trotting Terminal LP.
As word began to spread outside of the Middle East, the Synaptik built an international fan base, keeping his followers sated with another blitz of singles in 2019 and another collaborative EP with Liqid, Sofa. 2020 was an even more prolific year for the rapper, with more than a dozen singles released, including “Jowa Beiti” with Maysa Daw, “Sama” with Dana Durr, and “Ramyten” with Bigmurk and Molotof. ~ Neil Z. Yeung