Shadia Mansour, the first lady of Arabic Hip Hop
Young Arab musicians are handing us a genius genre that not only will make you bob your head to the captivating tunes and words, but will also open your eyes to issues that affect them as young people from the Arab region, including social injustices and equality.
Here are a couple of favorites, which will soon be yours too:
Al-Keffiyeh 3arabeye by Shadia Mansour ft. M1
She has been proclaimed the First Lady of Arab Hip-Hop, as she shines a light on her Arab and Palestinian roots, highlighting the region’s heritage. The British-Palestinian female rapper, Shadia Mansour, puts a huge emphasis on the pride she takes in her culture despite living in the UK.
We Fed Up by Abu Hajar of Mazajj Rap
German based Abu Hajar of Syria sees himself as a political activist and raps for the Syrian youth whilst conveying the harsh realities of war torn Syria.
If I Could Go Back In Time by DAM ft. Amal Murkus
Teaming up with Palestinian singer Amal Murkus, Palestinian hip hop group DAM released a song that sheds a compassionate light on the issues women face with patriarchy in the region which often disallows women to have any rights or control over their own lives.
Kafer by ShiBoBa ft. Daddy Kool
ShiBoBa is a bold and fearless Saudi rapper who has garnered millions of hits on his YouTube videos for his diss tracks. Diss tracks aside, he also discusses serious topics that affect Saudi society and these are powerfully spoken about in his track entitled “Kafer”, in which he touches on hypocrisy, extremism, and corruption.
Kas Galeb by The Synaptik
Doctor by day and rapper by night, this Jordanian artist’s music videos stand out through their thought provoking graphics. In this track, entitled Kas Galeb, The Synaptic talks about a woman who is oblivious to her own misfortunes and dire circumstances paired with a music video featuring scenes from the famous American cartoon sitcom, The Simpsons.
