Nadir's Page

Click HERE to view Nadir's SonicBids Electronic Press Kit

Click HERE to view Nadir's full Media Kit as a pdf

Some artists defy classification.
Detroit's revolutionary soul man, Nadir, rebels against it.

"This Southern-bred singer-songwriter and his stalwart band play with an aplomb that could raise the corpses of Marley and Hendrix. No $h!t To label them simply neo-soul would be downright reductive." Metro Times, Detroit

Church-trained, Southern-bred reborn urban dread NADIR (meaning "rare" and "unique") is a clear and resonant voice of cultural change. Singer/songwriter, producer, writer and activist Jonah Nadir Omowale brings us an undeniable musical message, steeped in both tradition and innovation. His music, called Distorted Soul, is a revolutionary soul music hybrid that incorporates elements of funk, soul, rock, jazz, folk and hip hop "in such a delectable manner that his musical renditions are sure to please any musical palate."

On Nadir's latest album, Workin' For The Man, revolutionary socio-political commentary collides with explosive funk and hip hop. Nadir describes the album as a "political dance record" designed to make you dance and think at the same time. It earned him a 2009 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Urban/Funk/Hip Hop Recording, and Distorted Soul's live version of the Eagles' classic "Life In The Fast Lane" was named Best Rock Song of 2008 by Soul-Patrol.com.

Slave: The Remixtape, which offers fourteen very different remixes of Nadir's award-winning composition "Slave" (and six additional tracks online) - in Crunk, Funk, Hip-hop, Rock, Funky House, Techno styles and more - was a #5 Breakout track on Billboard's Club Play chart, and took home a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Electronic Dance Recording.

His solo debut Distorted Soul 2.0 was crowned "Best Funk Album of the Year" by Soul-Patrol.com and earned a Detroit Music Award for "Outstanding Urban Funk/Hip-Hop Recording", after international spins on Urban A/C, Rock, Urban Contemporary and even Smooth Jazz radio.

Nadir's funk-rock jam band, Distorted Soul, rips through his diverse originals, then fires off hard rocking versions of soul classics like "Love TKO" or reincarnates rock anthems like "Life in the Fast Lane" as dance floor friendly funk burners.

The multi-talented Nadir is also a multimedia journalist who writes a monthly column for African American Family Magazine. In 2008 Nadir was the MTV Choose or Lose Street Team '08 correspondent for the state of Michigan, in which he covered the presidential election. (Catch his reports at www.think.mtv.com/Nadir/).

"When you get right down to it," Nadir explains, "I'm all about telling stories, singing songs and making music that moves people - spiritually, emotionally, physically, politically, whatever. Don't just sit there! Do something!"

NADIR has received several recent awards for his work including:
- Nine Detroit Music Awards: Three in a row (2005-2007) for Outstanding Urban/Funk Songwriter; Outstanding Urban/Funk Vocalist (2006, 2008, 2009); Outstanding Urban/Funk/Hip Hop Recording (2005) for Distorted Soul 2.0 and (2009) for Workin' For The Man; Outstanding Electronic Dance Recording (2008) for Slave: The Remixtape

- Distorted Soul 2.0 named Best Funk CD of 2005 by SoulPatrol.com

- A finalist berth in the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest for "Slave"

Nadir's album Workin' For The Man is a high powered political barn burner, packed with revolutionary funk, soul, rock, hip hop and house. Bob Davis of Soul-Patrol.com says, “Imagine if you could listen to an album that sounded like it was James Brown + Gil Scott-Heron + Public Enemy?” And... “This is clearly one of the best new releases of the year and something that is truly worthy of your attention at this time.”

"Nadir is a revolutionary artist. Nadir has a revolutionary agenda. Nadir thinks that it is ok to HAVE FUN and THINK. Nadir’s new album Workin’ for the Man makes you do both." - www.soul-patrol.com-


Slave: The Remixtape features 14 captivating new versions (20 at some digital retailers) of NADIR's award-winning song by some of the best young producers on the scene. Guaranteed to make you a slave to the dancefloor!

"It's a fantastic example of what remixers can do when given good material... If you're into remixes, Nadir's Slave: The Remixtape is a tour-de-force of remixing." -Synthtopia-

Distorted Soul 2.0 is a ground-breaking album that has received rave reviews from critics and listeners alike. Chris Rizik of Soultracks.com says "The praise is well deserved, as this is absolutely infectious urban rock, calling to mind the better moments of artists from Ernie Isley to Lenny Kravitz." Dirk Binsau, publisher of the website Jazz-Not-Jazz.com, believes NADIR "has really developed a sound and style of his own and Distorted Soul 2.0 is very different from what I've heard in a long time and that's what makes this album special."

"Its STONE COLD FUNK, it makes you DANCE, it ROCKS your world, its got GREAT LYRICS, it's got POWERHOUSE SOUL SINGING, it's got GREAT MUSCIANSHIP, it makes you THINK about the world and it makes you SMILE." - www.soul-patrol.com-