KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Award-winning Malaysian rapper, producer and composer Malique has not held a single live performance in over a decade, but his name and influence in the industry still resounds among local hip hop artistes.

Malique Ibrahim whose real name is Cairel Adrin Ibrahim is known to Malaysians in general as the founding member of legendary rap group Too Phat (alongside Joe Flizzow) that disbanded in 2007.

The low-profile artiste hopped onto the Instagram wagon earlier this year, which stirred up  enthusiasts who spotted his official account into speculating that the now 48-year-old might perform live again soon.

Despite the buzz, Malique has yet to announce plans or grant any media interview.

As such Malay Mail turned to a generation of Malaysian musicians who say they have been shaped by Malique to find out about his current and future projects.

What’s Malique been up to?

A year after wrapping up Too Phat, Malique founded his own label, Qarma Studios (also known as Qarma Musiq) in 2008.

That same year, he released his trilogy albums OK, followed by K.O The Mixtape (2009) and T.K.O (2017), along with several EPs and singles.

Beyond his own projects, Malique has actively mentored underground rappers and artistes, often serving as a quiet guiding force behind their work.

For Klang-born rapper and producer Balan Kash, Malique has played a defining role not just in his music career but in his personal life.

The Cekap rapper, who attended every Too Phat show from 2001 to 2004 and interned at Qarma in 2008, described Malique as an older brother figure who often offered life lessons.

“He’s the one who taught me when I made my first RM10,000, to spend it on my mother, my sister and put another RM2,000 in my Employees Provident Fund.

“I asked him ‘why should I put it there’ and he replied ‘do you know what dividend is, Balan? Do you know what compound interest is? Go learn,” Balan told Malay Mail.

He added that Malique even called him during his wedding to congratulate him and remind him to be a good husband.

As a musician, Balan said Malique not only taught how to write better bars but also celebrated his milestones.

Balan recalled one memorable moment when Malique – who is also dubbed the ‘General’ – left a good luck note for him and rappers Juzzthin and LilJ during their Too Phat tribute performance at Anugerah Juara Lagu 33 in 2019.

Working with the General

Kuantan-born rapper Kmy Kmo was still in secondary school when he first heard Too Phat’s Anak Ayam, but it was Ala Canggung II featuring Yusni Hamid that made him fall in love with the genre as it was the first time he heard someone rap in Bahasa Malaysia.

Malaysia’s hip hop scene took root in cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuantan around the early 2000s, but at that time the lyrics were predominantly in English.

Kmy said hearing Too Phat fuse Malay lyrics with ethnic sounds was refreshing.

He never imagined that just a few years later, he would be working alongside the ‘General’, learning to navigate the music industry under his watchful eye.

Kmy first collaborated with Malique in 2014 when he was recruited to join Malique’s project group Nukilan, alongside singers Afif Tirmizie and Zizi Kirana.

Together, they produced several hits, including Rindu featuring Indonesian singer Shae, and their breakout track Aduh Neng.

“So Malique, whenever he’s not working, is a caring and soft spoken individual but when he’s in his working mode, that’s when the General comes out. He’s a perfectionist and he is very strict when he’s in the studio.

“I remember I recorded a verse that has 16 bars in it for a song and Malique would actually go through it bar by bar and he would listen to it for hours before giving us his feedback and notes.

“He is also very particular about deadlines and even though we’re weeks away, he would push us to complete the project as soon as possible and keep in mind that these projects need to be on par with his other works too,” Kmy said.

He added that being scolded by the General was nothing new, and he never took it personally, as Malique would later explain his reasons clearly.

After spending a few years under Malique’s mentorship, Kmy went on to produce his own hit tracks with Luca Sickta, who has since become a longtime collaborator.

The duo continued Malique’s legacy of blending rap with local sounds, collaborating with legends such as Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk M. Nasir on 7 Nasihat and Zuhud.

Kmy said that the General persona is Malique’s alter ego – a creative armour common among rappers – which the latter began using in his solo work.

For the fans

Former talent manager and founder of Icon Entertainment, Iman Tang said Malique remains one of Malaysia’s most distinctive and influential artistes.

Recently featured on Malique’s Instagram, Tang said the artiste often visited him at his office in the late 1990s, and always with a dictionary in hand.

Now one of the country’s leading concert organisers, Tang who handled a number of major concert series including KRU’s GenKRU and Datuk M. Nasir’s Cipta earlier this year is keen to organise a Too Phat reunion.

“If he were to change his mind and wants to come out, that is amazing but if he doesn’t want to do it, we still respect his decision.

“But just one thing, at least maybe give the fans one last chance to see you perform live in person,” Tang said of Malique.

“Just for the sake of his fans, because they are the ones who have been supporting him all these while, even when he is working from behind the scenes,” he added.

Tang, who organised Malaysia’s first hip hop gig in March 1998 – A Tribute to West Coast & East Coast at Malibu Café, Jalan Sultan Ismail – recalled that Too Phat came up with their name just 20 minutes before the show.

“The rest,” he said, “is history.”

Back in action?

Malique never truly left the music scene but he’s clearly more visible in recent years, steadily dropping singles since opening his Instagram account in February.

In 2024, Malique launched Qarma Sessions, a YouTube cypher series spotlighting underground rappers, followed by the compilation EP Qarma Various Artists Volume 1 featuring Sabbala, Rebel Asia, YAPH, ALTRBG, BHeart and DMent Si Lain.

Prior to that in 2023, he released Sedih Hati, which drew headlines for sampling Rantapan Anak by infamous pop singer-turned-killer Mona Fandey, as well as Ayuh, the hit soundtrack for Polis Evo 3 featuring Kmy Kmo, Aman RA and Ernie Zakrie.

This year, he teased fans with photos of celebrities visiting Qarma Studio and released Tanya Tuhan, a collaboration with Def Jam SEA’s Yonnyboii, which has garnered over a million YouTube views since its July release.

Most recently, he posted a cryptic handwritten list of 108 artists believed to have worked with him over the years, with 101 names already filled.

Among them are M. Nasir, former rapper-turned-Lembah Jaya assemblyman Altimet, nasyid group Rabbani, singer Dayang Nurfaizah and national songstress Siti Nurhaliza.