He is not called Altimet for nothing. Whether busting rhymes as an MC, producing tracks, composing music or writing lyrics, Altimet delivers hot hits. Famed for his sharp rapping skills, he is deemed "Malaysia's MC's MC" by his peers. He turns up the heat at parties, and is invincible in rhyme battles and freestyling. Just pass him the mic and he'll show you "who's the man". Altimet was the opening act at the regional award show, Anugerah Planet Muzik 2007, which was broadcasted live in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore. The invitation came following positive buzz about his showmanship and the success of his second double-single She / Sayang, Sayang which achieved heavy rotation on Malaysia's top radio stations as well as on Hitz.tv and MTV Asia. In January 2009 Altimet was crowned Best Hiphop Solo Act at the Voize Independent Music Awards [VIMA 2008] and won Song of the Year for his track Chantek. This was not the first recognition for his fine work at an award show. In 2004 and 2005, his hiphop group Teh Tarik Crew received several award nominations for their albums How's the Level? and What's next? at the Anugerah Industri Muzik [AIM] - Malaysia's most prestigious music awards.
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But like most respectable superheroes, Altimet came from humble beginnings. His interest in music started at a young age - but always intensely anchored to hiphop. In 1995 he came upon the album one of Malaysia's pioneering rap groups: Naughtius Maximus. Determined, even in his teens, to out-do his newfound rap idols, Altimet began penning is own raps and studying other people's lyrics. This was the making of Altimate's lyrical mastery. By 1999, the man had teamed up with likeminded rappers to form Teh Tarik Crew and their own record label Teh Tarik Records. Dead serious to pursue a career in music, they released their debut EP Are We Rap Stars Now? in the same year and went on promo shows in the underground music circuit where they sold 1,000 albums through direct-selling. Next came their first full length album How's the Level and their sophomore What's Next?, both of which got them several award nominations. The crew through their label Teh Tarik Records explored their solo skills in Mixology, a compilation album showcasing each's solo numbers as well as songs by other local artists. Besides providing other local urban artists a chance to release their music commercially, this album was also the jump-starter of Altimet's career as a solo artist.
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Fans can look forward to his new solo album and promotional tour in 2009 titled First Among Equals. The album promises diverse selection songs with elements ranging from trip-hop to reggae and rock - all mixed with the Altimet signature sound. The first single from the album, Clap, Move, features popular R&B group, Ruffedge. Released in June 2006, the single quickly made it to the top in Malaysia's FM radio music charts Xfresh, Hitz, and Fly. Fans liked the number so much that in 2008 it was nominated for Best Local English Artist in Malaysia's number one radio station awards show, Anugerah Era. And then came the abovementioned She/Sayang, Sayang which also became a radio hit. As a solo artist, producer, songwriter and lyricist, Altimet has worked with a number of hot local artists whose music genres range from hiphop and R&B to ska, drum-n'-bass and pop. These artists include Poetic Ammo, Too Phat, Soulid, Gerhana Ska Cinta, Spacebar, Ruffedge, V.E., Reshmonou, Kaer as well as Ahli Fiqir. Too Phat's multi-platinum Plan B and Ahli Fiqir's highly acclaimed album Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah are testimonies to Altimet's tight skills in composing and writing lyrics. In fact, his production work on Ahli Fiqir's album won him an award at the Anugerah Planet Muzik [APM] in Singapore.
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Those who throw enough parties know about his flair on the turntable. He does DJ-ing gigs on a regular basis, but that's not to stop him from sharing his spinning skills with others. Together with fellow The Tarik Crew member DJ Fuzz, Altimet is co-founder of Mixology DJ Academy, a 'school' specializing in teaching turntablism and music mixing. If that isn't enough, Altimet also has a publishing firm under his wings called Purplenotez Publishing. This firm is dedicated to managing the works of his songwriting clients.
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Altimet plays an important role as A&R manager at Powder Records, an independent record label which signed the celebrated rap group Ahli Fiqir. He will be co-A&R-ing the label's upcoming release One Asia, featuring various hiphop acts from around Asia. One of his current projects includes hosting an urban music-lifestyle TV programme, Holla, which airs on Hitz.tv, on Astro's channel 705.
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