Arabic hip-hop
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.
History
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. French hip-hop rose to popularity partly because of Francophone radio broadcasting requirements, begun in 1994, that established quotas for all stations of 40% of daily broadcasts to be in French.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 and Saleh Edin, an American-Moroccan rapper.
In 2006, Arabic hip-hop solidified its mainstream presence in the Arab World with Hip Hop Na, a reality TV show on MTV Arabia hosted by Fredwreck and Qusai, a Saudi Arabian Artist. Hip-hop, both Arabic and American, is followed and created to varying degrees in most of the countries of the Arab world, including where social and political restrictions make this difficult. For example, Saudi Arabia is home to the group Dark2Men, who competed in the HipHopNa reality show mentioned above. In addition, break dancing "has become a popular pastime in the kingdom".
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 " plan to offer a hefty dose of hip-hop and much of the same youth-lifestyle programming MTV beams across the U.S."
Female Hip-hop
Although it is unclear whether or not there is a separate and distinct female Arabic hip-hop genre, women around the world utilize hip-hop to contest gender stereotypes and cultural traditions. For many Arabic, female hip-hop artists, expressing their Islamic identity is also crucial to sharing their political messages and artistic expression, whether via rhythmic patterns or Arabic languages. 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".Influences
Musical Influence
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, as well as a number of modern mainstream and underground hip-hop artists, and regional music styles from countries such as Jamaica. Sampling can act as a timeline for artists to assess recurring historical events. Arabic hip hop artists have used full Arabic orchestras in beat-making as well as beats inspired by traditional Arabic music styles.Raï
Certain regional variations of the music, notably French and Northern African styles, incorporate influences from the musical genre known as Raï, "a form of folk music that originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s."In the Netherlands, Raï has gained popularity, especially among migrants from North Africa. Artists such as Dystinct, Boef and Numidia have incorporated elements of Raï into their music. Iliass Mansouri, also known as Dystinct, is a Belgian-Moroccan artist with significant popularity in the Netherlands. Dystinct is known for blending Raï melodies with R&B, trap music, and Afrobeat. Songs like TekTek and Business feature Arabic instruments and scales, common in Raï. Sofiane Youssef Samir Boussaadia, professionally known as Boef, is a French-Algerian rapper. In his song "Habiba" he incorporates beat structures influenced by Raï. Numidia El Morabet, also known as Numidia, is a Dutch-Moroccan singer. Her song "Dana", a collaboration with Ali B, , and R3HAB, reflects Raï melodic structures and rhythms.
The genre's growing popularity in the Netherlands is also reflected by several concerts in the country, featuring Raï or artists influenced by it. On 13 January 2024, the famous Algerian Raï band Raïna Raï performed at het Zonnehuis in Amsterdam, combining rock instruments with traditional Algerian rhythms. On 7 December 2024, Swedish-Lebanese artist Maher Zain performed at the RAI Theater in Amsterdam. His work incorporates musical elements that resonate with Raï influences.
International Influence
Linguistically, utilizing a blend of languages increased the accessibility of Arabic hip-hop to broader, international audiences. Amid historical events of protest, such as the Arab Spring, increasing accessibility would strengthen Arabic resistance. In addition to accessibility, it would also call attention to global policies that directly influenced Arab life.The subject of American Muslim hip-hop has forged countless Arab identities on a global scale via religious empowerment. For Sunni artist Yasiin Bey, including verses of the Quran in his music means blessing his work as it is released to the public. Religion is a fundamental component of Arabic identity.
Political and Social Influence
Much of the hip-hop generated in the Arab World deals with a mix of social circumstances, such as poverty, violence, and drug use, as well as political reality, insofar as this is possible given censorship. The hip-hop of Palestine in particular has generated much interest in this respect and the music is considered a means of opposition. For example, the song "Meen Erhabe" by DAM aligns itself with opposition to the Israeli occupation, and was referred to critically as a "theme song for Hamas".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. At this time, hip-hop songs were a symbol of national identity across the Middle East, further amplifying music as a method of protest. While resisting Arab politics, hip-hop artists utilized English in their lyrics to make their messages more understandable to a broader audience.
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." Furthermore, these artists deal with the government enforced impetus for assimilation "coupled with the age-old stereotypes rooted in colonial references and the stigma of the marginalized banlieue."
Arabic hip-hop artists in the west, particularly Great Britain and North America, who also deal with racism and marginalization in their content, specifically mention an experience of "doubleness" – internal conflict between traditional and modern culture. For some rap and spoken word artists, hip-hop is seen as being true to both, due both to the rich Arabic poetic history and to the utility of hip-hop as a form of expression for marginalized or demonized communities. The poet Lawrence Joseph addresses the conflict explicitly in his poem "Sand Nigger".
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. Following 9/11, American medias escalated Arab alienization in the U.S. and other Western countries, enhancing the toxic light on Muslim Americans. Certain artists from the Arab world approach the western viewpoint similarly, such as the Emirati group Desert Heat who rap in English specifically for the purpose of "educating" westerners on a realistic view of Arabic culture and history.
Further, physical performances also carry political messages in Arabic hip-hop. The keffiyeh, a traditional, Arabic headdress, has grown in popularity as a symbol of Arab and Palestinian culture. It represents resistance and solidarity.