Simo Kassabi's journey from Harhoura to the United States is a testament to resilience and the power of cultural identity. Despite facing isolation and hardship, he transformed his passion for music into a burgeoning career, all while proudly representing Moroccan heritage on the global stage. Simo Kassabi ‹ › «Sbar a Abdesabour» (Have some patience, Mr patient). With this phrase, Simo Kassabi's father would soften the weight of days when life grew unbearably harsh in the United States, when loneliness pressed in and the idea of returning home nearly crushed an unfinished dream. That sentence became the last lifeline Simo clung to as he faced isolation, choosing endurance over surrender and pressing on with his journey. The difficult beginnings Originally from Harhoura, Simo left Morocco about five years ago after earning a degree in IT. He walked away from a stable academic path to pursue a far more uncertain road: music. His decision to move to the United States was not random. During a visit in 2015, he felt, almost instinctively, that he would return one day. Back in Morocco, in 2017, he took his first steps as a DJ alongside friends, initially as a hobby. But once in the United States, he realized that music could become more than a passion, it could be his future. The beginnings, however, were far harsher than he had imagined. He knocked on club doors day after day without a single response, until he turned to social media, posting a video infused with Moroccan culture. Just three weeks later, the first opportunities emerged. That was when he understood a crucial lesson: to be heard, he had to be different. Still, survival came first. At 26, Simo had to take whatever work he could find. «I worked at a gas station for the lowest wage, just to secure my daily bread», he told Yabiladi. In New York, he found himself stranded more than once, sleeping on the street, at airports, while his personal life reached its lowest point. Looking back, he remembers his father's words during that time with a touch of humor, even though they felt anything but light back then. «I would call my family every day, crying, asking to return to Morocco. My father would always comfort me with a phrase that still lives inside me and that I truly believe in: Hve some patience, Mr Patient. That sentence stopped me from giving up and pushed me to keep going and think positively». Holding on to the dream The dream of becoming a DJ in the land of Uncle Sam never left him. Simo eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he rented a place with a friend. By coincidence, their landlord was a musician. Touched by Simo's passion, he gave him the stage name «Morocco» and granted him access to a music studio. Yet reality did not improve overnight. Instead, Simo fell to depression. «The hardest step», he explains, «was simply finding a space where your art could be heard». During that phase, he worked at a Lebanese restaurant, where he faced a humiliating situation. The owner demanded that he deliver an order despite not having a driver's license and threatened to fire him if he refused. «I decided to leave», Simo says, «because I would not accept humiliation, or risk my safety». At his lowest point, he decided to change course once again and returned to social media. «I posted a video with a Moroccan touch, introducing Moroccan culture and the traditional teapot. That's when I realized again that uniqueness was my strength». The idea worked. Three weeks later, a music company looking for a DJ contacted him, marking the first real turning point of his career, though the struggle was far from over. Building a name He began with Techno and Afro styles before transitioning to Minimal Tech House, committing himself seriously to developing his sound to meet the expectations of the company he signed with. They involved him in multiple events, but asked him to change his stage name. That's when he chose to perform under his family name: Kasabi. Gradually, he built a strong network and performed at numerous events. Slowly but surely, his name began to carve out a place in the artistic scene. Morocco on stage Simo never steps on stage without carrying Morocco with him. He wears the national jersey, raises the Moroccan flag, and blends Moroccan rhythms into his sets whenever possible, using music to introduce the world to his roots. Among the remarkable coincidences of his journey, two years ago he found himself in a Moroccan restaurant in Los Angeles when he unexpectedly met American actor Laurence Fishburne. Simo struck up a conversation and jokingly suggested he could work with him as an actor, despite never having acted before. Fishburne took his number. Four months later, his team reached out with an offer: a role as a wealthy young Moroccan carrying a USB filled with dangerous information, pursued by a gang trying to steal it. Simo accepted immediately, stepping into his first acting experience without hesitation. A turning point More recently, he signed a new contract in Las Vegas. Out of curiosity, he entered a DJ competition in Los Angeles, only to win it. The prize was a chance to perform on the opening night for one of the world's most famous DJs, a milestone that marked a decisive shift in his career. He has since been offered another acting role in a film about three DJs, set to begin filming soon. As his name gained recognition in the United States, invitations from Morocco started to arrive, offers he has not yet accepted. Still, he plans to go on tour across several Moroccan cities with the friends he began his journey with back home. Today, Simo's greatest dream remains unchanged: to become a traveling DJ, carrying music across the world. And through it all, he has learned one enduring truth, that the path to a dream is not measured by ease, but by patience.
