With "Al-Mohareb", Mc Dahab Delivers The Most Accurate Warrior Song

If war games ever needed a theme, song then those game designers have finally found the just the perfect song  for their game. Egypt's most prolific rapper delivered a very personal song, he has told me that he won't record the song until he feels inspired to channel to complex emotions the song is all about. The song starts in a romantic set up and happy music, till the thunder strikes.

Well, that time has finally come and Mc Dahab recorded this epic war song about a guy who has fought but fighting is not in his nature. A song about a warrior who fought for God and country, yet finds the safest place when he is close to his mother and she talks to him about standing for what's right. She asks him not to go forward with his plans, but he must go...and not even a letter form his sweetheart would slow him down. The homeland came knocking and he would answer to call of duty.

Mc Dahab describes the battle so beautifully like I am watching an ward winning war movie, he buries other warriors like he is on cruise control. Then comes the news to his family, your son was killed fighting for his country, this is an honorable death, they said. They brought back the coffin, and the flag, there were no dry eye in the house.

I know the song is a little dark, but those are very dark times for many Arabs and the rapper has captured such mood with his creative and fresh take on war, honor and love. I was moved and inspired as I listened to this song for the third time. The artist is a naturals lover, but he cannot say not to what will be the end of him, his poetic lyrics make sense of the things we say and the things we do not say in such circumstances. 

Mc Dahab | " Al - Mohareb " - " ام سى دهب | " المحارب

Lara Scandar Will Make Someone Rich

Lara Scandar comes form a mixed background family, but there's noting mixed about this girl. she takes her art and her work seriously. Lara has surrounded herself with smart people and it seems her fans are in love with her. Watch this clip of hers promoting her new album in Beirut with the help of her producer Jean-Marie Riachi.

I feel Jean-Marie is trying to do with Lara something similar to what Nancy Ajram is. Think about it, Lara is young, charismatic, she singers in half dozen languages. And she is glamorous. However, that glamour might not be a big sell with the man on the street. Nancy reach the common man by wearing what they wear and talking like they do, and better she seemed really good at it.

Thus, I feel that both the artist and the producer are among the elite. No question about it, they are both talented.
Taalou Ghannou Maaya - Lara Scandar

Hip Hop Revolution: An Overview of Arabic Hip Hop

Hi, everyone. I'm Ulysses and I'm here to share my new article that just went up on OpenDemocracy. It's called "Hip Hop Revolution." It provides an overview of the Arabic hip hop scene and explores how hip hop affects the way Arab youth interact with the revolution. I look at the scenes in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, and Lebanon and feature Malikah 961, Soultana, Ibn Thabit, Ahmed Rock of Revolution Records, Lotfi Double Kanon, and El Général. (Note: To read the post with properly embedded Universal Subtitles videos, please click here). Check it out!

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ulysses/hip-hop-revolution

El Général, Hip Hop, and the Tunisian Revolution

Hi there, Hot Arabic Music readers. I go by the name of Ulysses (@ArabRevRap on Twitter) and I'm studying Arabic and Middle East studies. I have started a blog,revolutionaryarabrap.blogspot.com/, to translate and analyze Arabic hip hop, help people improve their Arabic skills, and explore the academic, journalistic, and social media coverage of the Arab uprisings. Hani has very kindly offered to host my work and my song translationson his blog (thanks!), so I hope you enjoy my perspective. I'm happy to take your translation requests (hit me up on Twitter or at ulysses [dot] rap [at] gmail.com). I'm not a native speaker of Arabic, though, so I'm always looking for people to help with new translations or to correct mine.

So why exactly is Arabic hip hop worth your time? Well, for starters, hip hop has become a universal medium of social and political expression for young, dissident, and marginalized peoples. It's helping the people of Arab world, most of whom are younger than 30, find new ways to raise their voices. It's important not to overstate the influence of Arabic hip hop on the Arab uprisings. Arabic-langauge hip hop is an underground phenomenon, not a mainstream one like Al Jazeera is. There's no hip hop "industry" to speak of in the Arab world. Arabic-language rap artists must promote their work online or sign with Western record labels. Despite all this, the genre's popularity and influence are growing remarkably fast. Rappers in Tunisia and Libya have shaken the most nightmarish of regimes to the core. Arab hip hop is blowing up because it speaks so powerfully to Arabs' desire for dignity, human rights, and a brighter future.

With that said, here's my first major blog post. I hope you like it!

El Général, Hip Hop, and the Tunisian Revolution

Via andymorganwrites.com

Like many people, I first took notice of Arabic hip hop because of El Général and the Tunisian Revolution. The story has practically passed into mythology now. For a few critical days, a 21 year-old rapper from Sfax had a more powerful voice than the dictator of Tunisia himself. On October 23, Tunisia will hold the first truly free elections in its history when it elects a new constitutional assembly. El Général's story illuminates, with a vividness that few others can match, how Tunisia got to this point and where it might be going from here.

On November 7, 2010, Hamada Ben-Amor, a young rapper from Sfax known as "El Général," posted this jeremiad against the regime of Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali on Youtube and Facebook:

Click here to read the rest and visit my blog!

"Prayerful" Monday : Question?: Can The Church Embrace Hip-Hop?

Will Hip Hop culture grow or destroy the Black Church? It is the dominant force amongst youth and now, young adult. Hip Hop's influence has smitten the Black Church in many ways causing generational divide. Although Hip Hop culture has been approached from a variety of angles, its relationship to the Black Church has not nearly been explored enough. Our youth and young adults are rapidly leaving the church in search of something that looks and feels like Hip Hop and in many ways the Black Church remains in denial. What do you think ?