Our dad crush is not just a local rapper and successful actor, he’s also an entrepreneur. Ahmad Syarifullah, better known as Syarif, has come a long way since his first step into the media industry as a intern at Mediacorp’s Channel 5. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from his stint at Mediacorp was not his entertainment career, but that he got to know his wife, Malaque Mahdaly, who was a Singapore Idol 3 contestant then.
The pair are now happily married and have two babies together – the Chulop! by the Syarifs, and their one-and-a-half year old daughter Selma Malika. Syarif is clearly a smitten dad as you can often spot him having fun with his daughter on his Instagram feed and devoting long heartfelt messages to her.
Syarif first caught the public’s eye as one half of rap duo SleeQ, where he wrote and produced many songs. Though they are no longer active together (they split in November 2015), back when they were making music, the duo won many accolades. At the 2013 Anugerah Planet Muzik (APM) Awards, they won three awards, including the best collaboration song for Sahabat. They went on to win The Wings of Excellence award as well as Top Local Malay Pop Song award with Untuk Dia, at the 2014 COMPASS Awards.
Posted by SleeQ on Saturday, February 8, 2014
Though it was a pity, Syarif didn’t let this stop him from continuing to make progress in the entertainment industry. Instead he switched gears and ventured into acting. His first role was in the movie musical, Sinaran and he has since taken on roles in local Suria productions.
His parlay into business has also done well. Chulops! By The Syarifs was started in May 2015 in East Village, and it is doing so well that they have opened a second outlet in the West.
Syarif is also a romantic at heart. During his wedding, he serenaded his wife with a song Tanggal 22, that he had co-written with local act, The Trisno Trio.
He is clearly smitten with her, as you can always spot her on his Instagram feed.
There is however one other female who features even more frequently on his Instagram feed, and that is none other than his beloved daughter Selma.
You can see many of her antics captured in perfect squares on Syarif’s feed, and it seems that making funny faces is something that they enjoy doing together.
Though he makes it look easy, Syarif has admitted that fatherhood is tough. The initial few months were especially difficult as the couple had to get used to adjusting their schedule around Selma’s sleeping hours.
He hopes that his daughter will take after him and follow in his musical footsteps. “It’s too early to tell if she will become a singer, but I want her to be musically inclined. I want her to play instruments, something I never got to do when I was younger.”
It looks like Syarif is going to be doubly blessed soon. His wife Malaque is currently pregnant and the couple are eagerly counting down to the arrival of their second child.
We know that Syarif is going to be a great dad and can’t wait to see him with his second child!
For last week’s dad crush, click here.
