El General (rapper)
Hamada Ben Amor, known by the stage name El General, is a Tunisian rapper whose protest songs became widely associated with the early phase of the Tunisian revolution of 2010–2011.
His song "Rais Lebled" has been described by international media as an "anthem" or "battle hymn" of the uprising that led to the fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. During the protests he was detained by Tunisian authorities, prompting international press-freedom and news coverage.
Early life
Ben Amor grew up in Sfax in a middle-class family. His mother ran a bookshop and his father worked as a hospital medic. He studied medicine.Career
2007–2010: Underground releases and censorship
Ben Amor has been making mainly political rap songs since 2007. The songs were previously kept underground by the strict censorship of the autocratic regime of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. On December 24, 2010, two days after his second famous protest song "Tunisia Our Country" was released on YouTube and Facebook and one week after the protests in Tunisia began, he was arrested by Tunisian police. Three days later, Ben Amor was released, after being forced to sign a statement to no longer make any political songs.2010–2011: Tunisian revolution and detention
In late 2010, Ben Amor posted the protest track "Rais Lebled" online.Ben Amor's “President of the Country,” a searing Arabic rap song, served as a soundtrack for the revolution. The week before Mohamed Bouazizi’s death, Hamada Ben Amor used a handheld camera to tape himself singing the song, a baseball cap pulled over his eyes. “Mr. President,” he exclaimed, “your people are dead!” Al Jazeera and various social media picked up the video. The secret police arrested Ben Amor, inflaming his followers, and hastening Ben Ali’s exit. Following public backlash, Ben Amor was released after several days.
After the overthrow of Ben Ali, his songs enjoyed enormous popularity in Tunisia, particularly "Rais Lebled" which became known as the anthem of the revolution and gained him international recognition.