Chan'ad Bahraini

I mentioned hip-hop in a post a couple days back. Well here is another very interesting phenomenon from our region that I've been following for a while now: Arab rap. That is, hip-hop music rapped in the Arabic language. Although there are a few different Arab rap movements out there (Algerian, Lebanese) the one I'd like to focus on is that coming from Arab-Israelis. A good source that I've come upon for this is ArabRap.net. The biggest names out there are MWR, DAM, Ta3m al 2alam, and a few others.

The sociological profile of Arab-Israelis matches almost exactly that in which hip-hop is likely to flourish, as laid out in the theory. Like African-Americans in the US, and North Africans in France, in Israel the minority Arab community is on the margins of the mainstream society. Arab-Israeli towns have much higher unemployment, lower education levels, less public funding, and less access to social welfare. Because of their ethnicity they are viewed by their compatriots as traitors, or second-rate citizens. At the same time however, the Arab Nation at large (wa6an al-3rabi) also views the Arab-Israelis as traitors for accepting the Israeli state(de facto) by not fleeing as did many other Palestinians of the time. Because of their Israeli passports they are not able to get visas to visit many Arab states -- this especially affect the Muslims among them who desire to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.

In short, they have existed as a half-caste community without being able to fully belong to either an Israeli or Arab identity. The result is Arab rap. Compared to the tame lyrics of Fairuz, or the teeny-bopper apolitical music of Amro Diab, these Arab rappers have hard-hitting things to say. Yet they are still poetic and avoid the trashy style of Sha'ban Abdelrahim ("bakrah Israel"). Their criticisms are directed both at the Israeli state, for denying them their basic rights, as well as towards the Arab leaders for not aiding or even recognizing them. Through hip-hop, these guys (and girls) are trying to carve out a niche for themselves within the ideological and sociological landscape of both Israel and the Arab Nation.

One of the most powerful songs is "Meen Erhabe" (Who's the terrorist) by DAM. You can listen to their song as well as watch a video to go along with it here (the page has a couple other interesting videos also). Here are some lyrics (translated) from the song:

You want me to go to the law?
What for?
You're the Witness, the Lawyer, and the Judge!
...
Your countless raping of the Arabs’ soul
Finally impregnated it
Gave birth to your child
His name: Suicide Bomber
And then you call him the terrorist?
...
You silence me and shout:
"But you let small children throw stones!"
"Don’t they have parents to keep them at home?"
You must have forgotten you buried our parents under the rubble of our homes
...
I’m not against peace
Peace is against me
It’s going to destroy me

They've got a thing or two to say about Arabs also. These lyrics are from the song "Khamsoon 3am" ("Fifty Years") by Ta3m al 2alam:

The meaning of development is upside down for us (Arabs)
We lost track
After getting beaten up, and lost, and being eaten up by the fire like wood,
It makes you wonder how Arabs are still saying:
"That is what’s written".
...
The world has scaled mountains and crossed valley and hills,
But what worries the Arabs is how to eat with their left hand.

If you haven't heard them yet, then you should definitely check them out. You can download a bunch of mp3s at ArabRap.net. Not everything is amazing, but there are a few songs which are quite powerful. They have some valuable things to say, so I hope their movement continues growing. Does anyone know if there is any khaleeji rap available by any chance?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 5/18/2004 01:29:00 am. Permalink