YouTube sensation Remy Munasifi, also known as “Go Remy” or his alter ego “Habib Abdul Habib” for being an Arab-American stand-up comedian, has revealed his inspirations behind his famous musical parodies about stereotypical Arabic traditions.
Remy’s catchy parodies, which have brought in millions of views on YouTube, are usually to the music of catchy, chart-topping songs. The most recent video, which Remy described as “a love song about Kibbeh Nayyeh,” in reference to a traditional Lebanese dish comprised of raw minced meat, was sung as a parody of this year’s summer hit “Call Me Maybe.”
In true comedic flair, Remy says he was first encouraged to post videos that were equally as bad as his.
“I was inspired to make videos on YouTube when I first saw the website,” Remy says , reminiscing about when he posted his first video six years ago.
“I saw people making videos that weren't very good and I thought to myself ‘my videos aren't good too!’”
“I always liked musical comedy growing up. Being a comedian was something that always seemed like a dream, but not very realistic,” he adds.
Videos that were Remy's claim to fame include “A-R-A-B: The Rap,” “Hey There Khalilah” and “Saudis in Audis;” all parodies of top, mainstream songs.
The parodies were all a hit among his followers and received hundreds of thousands of views.
The YouTube star now has a library of 58 videos on his YouTube page “GoRemy.”
“I still post videos as frequently as I can, and I am always working on new songs for YouTube and for my live performances,” he says.
Remy signed with a U.S.-based talent agency in 2009 and alongside his Arab musical parodies, he often stars in stand-up shows and has performed at the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival several times.
In 2010, Remy released a list of tracks on iTunes called “The Falafel Album” which featured six songs including “Saudis in Audis” and the “Falafel Song,” an ode to the popular Middle Eastern snack.
