Poet/Rapper Tariq Khan, also known as MC Lazy, was born and raised by a Christian Dutch mother and a Muslim Pakistani Father and is now based in Amsterdam. He has been musically active from the age of 14, and has worked with several international artists. Khan has amassed over 100 performances to date, and has taken his music far and wide, with live shows in places as diverse as Senegal, Thailand and Cambodia. He has put out three music videos shot in far flung corners of the world, including clips for the singles Jamestown, Prayer For Pakistan and For The Rights.
Rapping in English to reach a wider audience, Lazy’s first taste of performing to a large crowd came at the renowned annual Dutch music festival Bevrijdingspop in 2006, where he and his former crew THE 0162 secured a coveted slot. He was then featured on The Big Joint, Mixtape CD Vol. 1, with the track My Philosophy.
MC Lazy continued to perform, and in 2009 got the opportunity to go to Thailand for several weeks with the Wanna B Foundation. Here he supported children from the ages of 6-16, helping them with their educational needs. The project inspired him to write about subjects like exploitation and slavery, resulting in his first official debut single and video, called Jamestown, recorded with Dutch female singer Valentina.
This single gained key media attention, with an interview with well known Radio DJ Giel Beelen on Dutch radio station 3FM as well as an interview in the free daily newspaper the Metro. MTNL (Multicultural Television, the Netherlands) also aired a report on MC Lazy, as well as the ‘making of’ of an unreleased video called “Who Is Lazy?”. In October that same year, MC Lazy was asked to work for the Milleniumtour of NCDO and EEN (ONE Campagne).
As well as regular performances, Khan often puts on rap workshops to school children in and around Amsterdam.
In 2010 MC Lazy released the song Prayer For Pakistan, dedicated to the victims and survivors of the flood in Pakistan. After this he visited Cambodia and in response to his visits to the clothing factories, he recorded the single For The Rights.
MC Lazy also presented the documentary The Worker Can Wait. In this documentary he follows Margo Kosters (CNV International and LokaalMondiaal) for the duration of her visit to Cambodia, where she researches the fair clothes production process.
He gave a live preview of his latest single For The Rights during an exclusive event in Talentcenter Club JACO in Amsterdam, after which he travelled to Senegal to make a documentary on the building activities of a school by foundation Bantan Woro. This is also where he shot the footage for the video for the forthcoming single Guide The Children.
MC Lazy’s first mixtape is due for release early 2012. He now presents “What are you getting for Christmas” as it’s first official single together with a mind expanding music video shot by international Music Production & Entertainment company Dark Stars.