Coffee remixed

A former music star’s love of coffee has added to RAK’s mix of attractions

Mutah Beale, the co-owner of Mug Ways Cafe. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Ras Al Khaimah Corniche is getting more lively, especially since the arrival of the Mug Ways cafe, founded by American former rapper Mutah Beale, who was once part of Outlawz, the hip hop group formed by the late Tupac Shakur in the mid-1990s.

The cafe will add to the developing coffee culture in the emirate. Mr Beale’s cafe is said to serve single-origin beans sourced from territories such as Ethiopia, Mexico and Rwanda. The emirate’s growing tourism sector may also benefit from having such venues, especially the Corniche, which has been transformed into a modern downtown complex. Authorities plan to expand the tourism sector from 3 per cent of the economy in 2012 to between 10 and 15 per cent by 2017.

Mr Beale is one of several renowned western musicians who have embraced Islam and have strong links to the region, including Yusuf Islam and Jermaine Jackson. Mr Beale’s presence and his business is a welcome addition to the mix.