Arab Hip-Hop Describes Mid-East Struggle
written by Shemia Miller

Rap music, the voice of poetic protest and artistic rebellion, originated in the land of the former slaves. So who would have thought that Hip-Hop, a culture confined to urban America, would travel all the way to Israel? Believe it or not Tupac Shakur has influenced disenfranchised and poverty stricken Arabs in Israel. Arabs are no longer content with dropping stones on their "Zionist oppressor," they are now dropping lyrics.
Two different people, two different worlds, Arabs in Israel, and Blacks in America, both have the same conviction-to speak the truth, to tell the world their pain. Just like Blacks in America, the Arabs in Israel were stripped of their land, their freedom, their way of life. Yet, they still had their culture. Arabs in Israel see Black Hip Hop Heads in America as a people to be admired, and a voice to be reckoned with.
Driving in Acre, Israel listening to their rap music, is no different from driving in Watts, California, or Detroit, Michigan-the lyrics have the same angst, the same pain. You can find hard hitting beats, laced with heart felt rhymes about poverty, drugs, crime and discrimination. Arabs in Israel are concerned with the same types of discrimination. They rap about being fired, simply because they are Arab. They discuss how drugs are being shipped in their neighborhoods by sea. They are all too familiar with being harassed and killed by the Israeli police.
Arabs in Israel are shown as insane bombers. Blacks in America are shown as criminals. Arab rap groups realized that they can't depend on the news to give the world their message; they have to send their message through hip-hop music. Sounds familiar? Who said Hip-Hop wasn't global?
On Haifa radio in Israel, hip-hop group MWR is making noise with their hit, "Because I'm An Arab." The lyrics discuss the oppression they face in their everyday lives. Their Arabic lyrics translated say, "A policeman sees me, immediately arrests me, asks me some racist questions, and why? Because I'm an Arab. Let me live! I'm just trying to live!" To get a taste of their sound, check out their track, "Rap Ehna El MWR".

Shemia is the Marketing Director of Here After Records
www.hereafter-records.com, Author of Universal Woman and upcoming
book: The Purpose of the Nation of Islam

Black August - Synod Hall, NYC

Black August celebrates the lives and accomplishments of
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Welfare Poets	Tahir
Tiye Phoenix	Tiye Phoenix's band
Hashim of Rise N Shine	Hashim and Ali of Rise N Shine with band
Crowd at Black August Concert	Fre I and Sid of DuoLive
DJ Life provided the sounds for the night
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