If determination and motivation had a name and a face, they would definitely look like Hotline. Born Richmond Shaw in a poor, drug-riddled neighbourhood in the US, he has overcome numerous obstacles to become the international recording artist he is today.

He discovered his natural ability to write songs while still at school, perhaps influenced by the fact that his mother used to be a backup singer for several groups during the 70s. He joined the US Armed Forces after high school and was soon sent to the Gulf region. During this time he performed for several news crews, and was a poster child for the Oscar-nominated movie documentary “Gunner Palace”.

He returned to the US briefly, but soon found his way back to the region as a musical civilian. He views the vitality of the music scene in Bahrain as fertile ground for new innovations in cross-cultural rap.