Oxygen for every region
During COVID-19 he equipped hospitals with beds, furniture, masks and oxygen concentrators. Kasserine received its first concentrators from him; Hfouz received an automatic biochemistry analyser.
From Ksar Said to the world stage
Rapper, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Karim Gharbi, known as K2Rhym, never forgot the neighbourhood that raised him.
I AM K2 documentary, January 2026
MTV EMA nominee, Best Middle East Act 2012
Best Middle Eastern Rapper 2015
Gulf Business 100 Most Powerful Arabs 2025
4M+ followers
Oxygen for every region of Tunisia
IIMSAM Global Goodwill Ambassador
K2Rhym
The full biography
A self-made career, told in his own words
Karim Gharbi was born on 13 October 1980 in Bab Jedid, in the heart of Tunis, and grew up in a small flat in Ksar Said, a working-class neighbourhood on the edge of the capital. He discovered rap on a friend's satellite TV and never looked back.
In 1996 he left for Marseille with one bag and no money. He slept in a cardboard box near Saint-Charles station, worked night shifts in Paris, and recorded in a free municipal studio until "Rap Ta3 L'Bled" with Tunisiano was signed by Universal Music France.
Then came production with Snoop Dogg and The Game, an early bet on Bitcoin, a company in Dubai, and a decision to give back: school renovations, hospital equipment and an oxygen campaign that reached every region of Tunisia.
14Orphans supported
10+Schools renovated
4M+Followers
20+Years in music
I AM K2, the documentary
In Dubai cinemas from May 2025, free on YouTube since 13 January 2026, with more than 31 million views. Two hours that follow Karim from Ksar Said to Marseille, Paris, Los Angeles and Dubai, with his family, friends and the people he helped.
Where the work goes
Four areas, one idea he grew up with: the Tunisian helps the Tunisian.
Education and youth
Renovated schools in Kasserine and Ain Draham, 14 orphans supported in Nabeul, football academies in Ksar Said.
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Healthcare and welfare
Hospital equipment and an oxygen campaign during COVID-19.
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Community development
Neighbourhoods, elderly care and aid from Tunisia to Kenya.
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Innovation and technology
From an early Bitcoin purchase in 2013 to K2 Meta, a blockchain and Web3 company in the UAE.
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In the field
Initiatives you can see in the film
Not cheques sent from far away. Karim went to the schools, the hospitals and the neighbourhoods himself.
A school rebuilt in Ain Draham
The roof was close to collapse and exposed wiring put children at risk. With activist Souad Ayadi, the school got new toilets, safe wiring and a renovated interior in about six weeks.
The Ksar Said pitch
The pitch he grew up on had become a place for drugs and alcohol. It is now a tartan field with youth academies, and some of its players went on to Esperance, Club Africain and Club Tunisien.
14 children, one home
Through the charity La Voix de l'Enfant, Karim supports the care of 14 orphaned children: housing, schooling, healthcare and daily needs.
The sea, for the first time
He took the residents of a nursing home to the beach for a day. Some of them saw the sea for the first time in their lives.
Beyond Tunisia
Food for malnourished children in Kenya, support in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and a visit to a refugee camp in Kurdistan.
Milestones
Four decades, three continents, one neighbourhood he keeps coming back to.
Born in Tunis
Born on 13 October in Bab Jedid; grows up in Ksar Said.
Arab Attack
His first band plays "La Nuit du Bac" at the Coupole in Tunis to a packed hall.
Marseille, then Paris
Leaves school for France. Night shifts pay the rent; days are for music.
Rap Ta3 L'Bled
Recorded with Tunisiano of Sniper and signed by ULM, Universal Music France.
Chroniques
His debut album, released in June with EMI France and Virgin Records Middle East, with En Vogue, Truth Hurts, Willy Denzey, Sniper and Reda Taliani.
Urban Fen
Co-produces and hosts the first Tunisian reality show for street arts, on Hannibal TV.
MTV EMA nomination
Nominated for Best Middle East Act.
First Bitcoin
Buys Bitcoin peer to peer at around 13 to 19 dollars.
Best Middle Eastern Rapper
The same year, "Immortal" with Snoop Dogg.
IIMSAM ambassador
Named Global Goodwill Ambassador in the fight against malnutrition.
Oooh La La La La
A World Cup song with Ronaldinho for Tunisia and the Arab teams.
One Love
A charity single with Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Kevinho and Ronaldinho; net proceeds to fight malnutrition.
Oxygen campaign
Hospital equipment and oxygen concentrators across Tunisia during COVID-19.
Ronaldinho in Tunisia
Three days to promote Tunisian tourism, and a match with the children of Ksar Said.
Gulf Business 100
Named among the 100 Most Powerful Arabs.
I AM K2 in cinemas
The documentary on his life opens in Dubai on 3 May.
Free on YouTube
I AM K2 premieres on YouTube on 13 January and passes 31 million views.
If you don't take risks in your life, you won't progress.Karim Gharbi, in I AM K2
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