K2Rhym

Karim Gharbi (Arabic: كريم الغربي; born 13 October 1980), known professionally as K2 or K2Rhym, is a Tunisian rapper, entrepreneur, and former presidential candidate. He became active in the early 2000s with Arabic and French-language hip-hop recordings and has collaborated with artists including Snoop Dogg and DJ Khaled. He later founded K2 Meta, a consulting firm focused on technology, and was involved in charitable initiatives in Tunisia.

In 2024, amid Tunisia's increasingly authoritarian political climate, he was sentenced in absentia to four years in prison and was permanently disqualified from running in presidential elections and from voting following his presidential

Early life and music career Gharbi was born on October 13, 1980, in Tunis, Tunisia,

He signed with EMI France and later Virgin Records Middle East. He also hosted the television program Urban Fen on Hannibal TV in Tunisia. In 2019, under the name K2, he released the single One Love, featuring contributions from Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Brazilian singer Kevinho, and former footballer Ronaldinho Gaúcho.

As of 2024, Gharbi has amassed a following on social media, with approximately 2.4 million subscribers on Facebook, 1.5 million on Instagram, and 100,000 on YouTube.

Business activities Gharbi later moved to the United Arab Emirates and established a company called K2 Meta, which focused on consulting and investments in technologies such as blockchain and Web3. Chinese embassy in Tunisia later released a statement, saying they do not know about the deal.

Presidential candidacy and political persecution In 2023, a year before the coming presidential elections, a poll by Sigma Conseil ranked him as the third most popular candidate among voters for the presidential post, with only then president Kais Saied and political activist Safi Saïd having more votes. Shortly before the registration deadline, he reported that the Ministry of Justice had refused to provide the required criminal record certificate (Bulletin n°3), thus preventing his formal registration.

On 15 August 2024, a court in Jendouba convicted him in absentia of purchasing sponsorship signatures and sentenced him to four years in prison, along with a fine and a lifetime ban on running in presidential elections and on voting. The court also sentenced Jendouba's municipal president to one year in prison and a 1,000-dinar fine (about €300) The lawyer for the head of Jendouba's local council says no evidence has been produced showing any signature collection, and denies that the accused had any connection to Karim Gharbi. The report stated that the electoral commission rejected 14 candidates, with at least 8 having been sentenced to prison terms and/or having been banned from running for the presidency again. In contrast, for the 2019 election, the electoral commission approved 26 candidates across the political spectrum. The ceremony took place in Saudi Arabia and was attended by the former president. The couple divorced in October 2019.

He is currently based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he manages his company.

Selected singles and collaborations

Immortal (feat. Snoop Dogg) La Fiesta (feat. Reda Taliani) Oriental Wedding (feat. Akil & Big Ali)