Gangstarap and ragamuffin inspired Amsterdam inhabitant Mehdi Chafi to write rap music of his own. Embracing the typical Dutch name Sjaak as his musical alias, he appeared as a guest on lots of hiphop tracks and in videos by Dutch artists like Appa, Ali B., Yes-R, Dio, The Partysquad and many others. In 2008 alone, he produced one mixtape and thirteen singles of his own. After 2010, things got a bit silent around Sjaak, but in 2011, he was signed by major Dutch hip hop label TopNotch. He has been working on a full debut album ever since, which is expected somewhere in 2013. The beginning of a new year also marks Sjaak’s return to the stage.