Arabic hip hop

Music genre

Arabic hip hop is a segment of hip hop music performed in the Arabic speaking world. Due to variety of dialects and local genres which exist in the localities, Arabic hip hop music may appear very diverse depending on the country of the song. Like most artists of the genre, the hip hop artists from the Arabic speaking world are highly influenced by American hip hop.

Before Arabic hip hop emerged as a separate genre, Arab Americans were regularly involved in hip hop in the United States, such as Los Angeles based producer Fredwreck and Miami based DJ Khaled. American hip hop music began to see popularity in the Arab World in the early to mid 1990s. Northern African Arabic speakers in Europe, mostly residing in France, the epicenter of European hip hop, were the first to begin making the music that constitutes the Arabic hip hop genre. For example, the Saïan Supa Crew and IAM had Arabic members. This music, a product of the French banlieue's beur and noir communities, was a blend of traditional American hip hop, the French styles popular at the time, and Raï, a popular music style from Northern Africa. Groups began to emerge in Palestine in the mid 90s, including popular group DAM. DJ Lethal Skillz was promoting new local groups "such as Aks El Seir" at around the same time. In Egypt, American hip hop was less popular, but a small buzz led to an emergent b boy population. In 2004, the first hip hop show took place there when the RZA, member of the Wu Tang Clan, performed in the Siag Hotel in Cairo alongside Kinetic 9 of Killarmy, a Wu Tang Clan affiliate, Cilvaringz (a Moroccan Dutch, and the first Arab to get signed by an American rap group) and Saleh Edin, an American Moroccan rapper. It is difficult to establish numbers for albums sold or listenership by demographic in the Arab world due to the lack of reliable statistics. Furthermore, viewership of satellite TV in the Arab world cannot be accurately quantified. However, we can discern popularity through marketing techniques utilized by satellite television providers. According to a 2007 report, "more than 85 percent of urban households in the Arab world have satellite television," a forum that has expanded to include music channels such as MTV Arabia which "[at the time] plan[ned] to offer a hefty dose of [mainly western] hip hop and much of the same youth lifestyle programming MTV beams across the U. S."

Although it is unclear whether or not there is a separate and distinct female Arabic hip hop genre, artists such as Shadia Mansour from Palestine and Malikah from Lebanon, are very eloquent in the Arabic Hip Hop art form, then we have the Egyptian EmpresS *1 the "First Female Egyptian Rapper" in Egypt that is more on the African tip giving credit to both her North African and Middle Eastern roots. Female hip hop artists are involved in a number of outreach activities in the Arabic, African and International World. In 2010 EmpresS *1 was invited from Egypt to Khartoum, Sudan by the Ministry of Culture, Studio One and Space, to workshop and perform at Beit el Fenoon, working with young Sudanese rappers, poets and singers from different parts of Sudan. EmpresS *1 has also done similar work in the UK, Brazil and Egypt. Shadia Mansour Arabia's "First Lady of Hip Hop" pays regular visits to Palestine to help with musical aid throughout the war. Female Arab Rappers performed at "Home and Exile in Queer Experience", a conference organized by Aswat, "an organization for Arab lesbians with members in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip".

Arabic hip hop artists, commensurate with those of the overall genre, engage in the process of sampling. According to Jannis Androutsopoulos, sampling is "a process of cultural literacy and intertextual reference taken from various domains, such as traditional folk music, contemporary popular music, mass media samples, and even poetry." Artists in the genre cite musical references, influences, and sampling material from a number of contemporary and classical sources, including 20th century Lebanese singers Fairuz, Majida al Roumi, and Julia Boutros, and regional music styles from countries such as Jamaica. Arabic hip hop artists have used full Arabic orchestras in beat making as well as beats inspired by traditional Arabic music styles. True to form, the Hip Hop of occupied Palestine evokes themes of struggle and resistance as artists lay beats about drugs, violence, and the daily oppression they face under Occupation. Reminiscent of the multiple messages voiced through American Hip Hop and Rap, artists in Palestine use music as a means to unify people who share common struggles. Their artistic expression represent the "drama of the streets", the harsh reality of cultural and ethnic subjugation, and continues to be a productive means of expression for Palestinian youth to communicate with one another across the region and hopefully soon, with the rest of the world. Arabic hip hop has been both an active player in and directly influenced by the changing political and social conditions of the region over the past two years. The Arab Spring, in particular, as a revolutionary movement affecting numerous states, including Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, elicited musical responses from emergent or formerly repressed hip hop artists. Hip hop and rap music were the soundtrack to the Arab Spring as the protest movements chanted to the poetics of young, influential rappers. Issues such as poverty, rising unemployment, hunger, and oppressive authoritarian regimes were all part of the politicized messages of hip hop music. Hip hop served as a mode of resistance in dissenting against authoritarian states, as well as a tool for mobilization in mass demonstrations. As such, the conventions of the hip hop genre within the Arab context, provided a voice for marginalized citizens within these revolutionary and subsequently transitional states. Arabic hip hop is most typically directed towards and most relevant to youth populations, who made up a substantial number of political actors in the Arab Spring. Hip hop music that emerged from the Arab Spring movements, though directly influenced by particular social and political realities, transcended borders and resonated throughout the region. This was largely achieved through social media, as artists and activists share their music via Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Outside of the Arab World, artists focus on many of the same types of issues, but there is a stronger focus on issues associated with immigration and living as ethnic minorities. In France, for example, much of the "socially critical" music focuses on "migration related problems such as discrimination, xenophobia, and the problematic identities of young people of foreign descent." The view of mainstream America towards the Arab population, domestically and worldwide, and military intervention in the MENA region factor prominently in Arab American hip hop and other western forms. On the other extreme, Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, whose father Abu Hamza al Masri is in prison on terrorism charges, uses hip hop to express solidarity with groups such as Hizbollah and Hamas, as well as to glorify violent Jihad. His message is different from other opposition rappers who have gained popularity in the genre insofar as he explicitly establishes his credentials by referencing his military skill and ability to cause violence.

Associative life and media are restricted to varying degrees throughout the Arab world. Reasons for censorship, whether state enforced or community enforced, generally fall under two categories – political or religious. Vis a vis state control, satellite TV has done much to restrict the state monopoly on television programming. This has directly impacted the space allowed for hip hop music and culture. Even socially cautious acts are subject to censorship. This phenomenon is not restricted to Saudi Arabia however, as relatively liberal Kuwait joined them in banning the group Desert Heat's first album despite their "pro Muslim" message and "cautious approach to religion, politics, and society". However, hip hop music, both Arabic and American, has managed to circumnavigate some of these restrictions. In addition to subversion via the internet or bootleg record sales, it seems that censorship inconsistencies and/or linguistic difficulty associated with translating hip hop from English may account for some English language records making their way to cities where they would otherwise be banned. Abdullah Dahman of Desert Heat offers an example of west coast rapper Snoop Dogg, whose records are available for purchase in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Hip hop music from the Arab Spring movement presented direct challenges to the strict censorship policies of many regimes throughout the Middle East and North African region. Arabic hip hop became a means of expression that actively resisted against the state and its regulations. In states like Tunisia, a state that previously censored all negative public statements against the government and was characterized as having one of the least free media in the world, hip hop music became a visible representation of the resistance and signaled the impending social and political changes. Several rappers were arrested for their music, including El General in Tunisia and El Haqed of Morocco, which only generated more attention to the issue of censorship and the artists themselves.

Hip hop communities in different Arab countries are interconnected with each other to varying degrees and also have connections to their respective diaspora communities in the US and Europe.

Hip hop emerged in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia around 2003 as an online community of rappers sharing their work and competing for fans. A rapper named Klash became infamous for his allegedly racist lyrics. Klash and his friends initially focused on social issues such as unemployment and nepotism. It was common for groups of teenage and young adult friends, or "gangs," to produce music on these themes. A diss track was released against Klash by someone who was offended by his lyrics and sought revenge. Klash responded with his own diss track, and soon he and a growing number of rappers were turning their attention to diss tracks. Klash's diss tracks attracted many fans, and this led to young people adopting this style, which made Klash famous.

Hamada Ben Amor, known as El General, is a Tunisian rapper. El General's popularity is largely attributable to his musical contributions to the Jasmine Revolution that took place in his home country. El General began producing hip hop music prior to the revolution and largely relied upon social media to publicize his music. His first recording, "Rais LeBled," was posted to YouTube in November 2010. The song was an attack on the former authoritarian ruler, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and the poor conditions in the state, including poverty, unemployment, and political and social injustices. Following the suicide attempt by Mohammed Bouazizzi in Sidi Bouzzid, Tunisia, which prompted the revolutionary movement, El General's music was used in ensuing demonstrations. El General released subsequent songs, which similarly criticize the government and called for the end to Ben Ali's regime. Consequently, he was arrested and imprisoned by Tunisian state police. His imprisonment further propelled the popularity of his music and activists demanded his release. El General was released soon after Ben Ali fled the country in January 2011. El General is widely considered to be one of the largest musical influences emerging from the Arab Spring and is considered to have made direct contributions to political activism during the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia.

The hip hop major outbreak in Yemen is often associated to the influence of Hagage "AJ" Masaed, an American Yemeni rapper producing music since 1997. Although he had grown in the United States, AJ has successfully reached Yemeni audience by addressing to local issues and incorporating traditional musical language into his hits. This versatility was also one of the reasons he drew international recognition, since he entered in the Yemeni music scene, he has been partnering up with several Yemeni artists, such as Hussein Muhib, Fuad Al Kibisi, Fuad Al Sharjabi, Ibrahim Al Taefi, Abdurahman Al Akhfash and others, and helping new ones to develop their talents. He has also played a major role on propagating the understanding of rap as a means of change. One contributing factor to the development of the music is also the creation of Yemen Music House in 2007. that has been providing assets to the development of a contemporary music scene In 2009, took place the first Yemeni Rap public festival, co sponsored by the French and German foreign missions Due to the importance of this event, AJ draws a comparison between it and the fall of the Berlin wall.

Refugees Of Rap (Arabic: لاجئي الراب; French: "Les Réfugiés Du Rap") is a Syrian Palestinian hip hop group based in Paris, France. Two brothers, Yaser and Mohamed Jamous, created the group in 2007, in a Palestinian refugee camp in Yarmouk, Syria. The brothers' texts offer a glimpse of life in the camp and denounce the situation in Syria. Forced into exile in 2013, the brothers become refugees in France the same year. Their collaboration led to several artistic projects. From 2007 to 2012, the band performed concerts and performed in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. The group collaborated with multiple other artists, including Tamer Nafar (DAM), Tarabband, and Linda Bitar, to release two albums in 2010 and 2014. Since their arrival in Europe as refugees, the group has performed in several festivals and participated in several artistic and associated projects (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway). (2015 Summer Camps (Rennes), Warm up Roskilde Festival (Denmark 2017), IMA Institut du Monde Arabe 2017 Poetry Night, Fête de l'Humanité 2016 2017 etc ). In the continuity of their project, the two brothers offer musical workshops to young teens. These writing workshops are based around the notion of freedom of expression, where messages of peace and tolerance circulate in a humanist approach that democratizes rap and allows young people from all walks of life to express themselves through music and words. Throughout their career, the group has attracted the interest of several media such as Rolling Stone magazine, the World, BBC or ARTE, Vice, Konbini, The Guardian, Radio France, TV5 Complex. Refugees of Rap also organized a "rap writing" workshop last one was at Octave Mirbeau College in Trévières. Omar Offendum is a Syrian American hip hop artist, designer, poet and peace activist. He was born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Washington, DC, and now lives in Los Angeles, California. His song #Jan25, inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt, went viral in 2011, shortly before the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Omar Offendum has often collaborated with Yassin Alsalman, also known as Narcy, and with renowned hip hop artist Shadia Mansour. Amir Almuarri (Arabic: أمير المعري) is an Idlib based rapper who achieved worldwide recognition for his music in 2019. His work draws attention to the suffering of the Syrian people under siege. His latest composition, entitled "On all fronts," expresses Almuarri's anger toward all parties involved in the fighting. It received widespread coverage by Arabic  and international media.