Rap for Palestine…a parallel lyrical flood
With the launch of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, an artistic flood of songs in solidarity with the Palestinian people in general, and the Gaza Strip in particular, exploded. However, whoever reviews these acts of solidarity will discover that rappers occupied the largest space in the field of artistic resistance, and that they have become at the forefront of the singing scene in support of Gaza and its people in the face of aggression, whether their solidarity came by producing new works that keep pace with current events, or by re-publishing songs they presented during previous events. Or in symbolic solidarity by raising the Palestinian flag at their concerts, or wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh in front of the masses and the media.
Large segments of our Arab societies with a conservative orientation were not keen on rap and its singers. In Egypt, for example, until just two months ago, large segments of society, especially the elderly and those with traditional tendencies, looked at the singer Ahmed Ali, known as “Weegs”, as a manifestation of the dissolution and disintegration of society, and looked at the huge crowds at his concerts. As a manifestation of a move away from religion and values, and conclusive evidence that Egyptian youth cannot be preoccupied with major or important issues. But this view began to change, with Wiggs’ stances in support of the Palestinians, and many people discovered that the world of rap is the largest of the contemporary lyrical worlds in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
“A flood… our enemy is confused… we fought for the sake of religion and the Qur’an… and there is no surrender… and now we are striking back… with a thousand volcanoes… our enemy is being destroyed.” With these words, Jordanian rapper Alaa Hamdan released his solidarity song, “Fires of the Al-Aqsa Flood,” a few days after the escalation of the Israeli occupation forces’ aggression against the Gaza Strip. Hamdan composes the lyrics of his songs himself or in collaboration with others.
Anyone who reads the content of his YouTube channel can see the extent of his interest in the Palestinian issue, through several works, including: “My Blood is Palestinian,” which he released with the events in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, or “Voice of Al-Aqsa,” which included sharp words against normalization and “a deal.” Century” and “Arab lethargy” towards the Palestinian issue, in which he says: “Have you ever heard of a brother possibly selling his sister… This is the Arab nation with the position of Palestine… What country are you talking about when the hands handed it over… to the enemy, they made peace and sold origin, honor and religion.”
Four years ago, Hamdan released a song called “Wartime,” whose lyrics speak about the scourge of wars, bombing, and destruction, with an insistence on liberating Palestine: “I completed my life without any support… I gave my parents, my mother, and my brother a promise… Oh, liberate this land… Oh, I will die.” Martyr… my weapon is my faith and victory is near.” Hamdan’s words were always characterized by short, sharp phrases, and these features appeared clearly in his recent work interacting with the current war: “A flood is expanding… and there is no one to block… and enough is enough of the strain… and the deaths of many and many… We are roaring… our enemy is like thunder… missiles are coming… and terrorizing any enemy.”
“My Palestinian Brother” is one of the rap songs that was released in Egypt about two weeks after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, from the words, music and singing of the young man Mustafa Al-Nasr, from the Mokattam area in Cairo. He wrote and sang, saying: “You underestimated the blood.. I am a Palestinian brother, but I do not have any cousins.. Among us are men who do not fear death, here we do not regret it.. Day 7 in Tel Kan, a simple overview, but do not dream of it.. The case is being blamed.”
The song achieved hundreds of thousands of views, and received many welcoming comments, as its words represent the typical image that popular rap audiences tend toward, including words of boldness, strength, masculinity, and revenge. That is, the image of the “hero” in the Arab popular imagination falls on the entire Palestinian people, with emphasis on the desire for revenge against the occupier who kills women and children.
But the biggest work by Egyptian rappers came from the “Street Rap” band, which produced a video that included 11 songs in solidarity with the Palestinian people, presented by 11 singers with a large group of singers, most of whom were young men and teenagers, and even children. The video began with a popular chant that spread in Egypt with the start of the war on Gaza, and it contains words against Israel, some of which are not suitable for public publication.
While it is recognized that “profane” words may be an obstacle to the acceptance of this style of singing by popular sectors, they are also often a reason for its spread among young people, especially those with a tendency towards revolution and rebellion, which explains the prevalence of these words in most solidarity rap songs. With Palestine. Scenes of destruction and the exhumation of children’s bodies from under the rubble represent sufficient justification for rap fans to curse the killers, and to load the words with the ultimate burden of anger and the promise of revenge.
Of course, the songs presented by “Street Rap” differed in their rhythms and method of performance, and their messages and contents were numerous, but in their totality they present a strange mixture of patriotism and nationalism, a reminder of the unity of race and religion, recalling some facts of history, and even recalling relevant religious prophecies, and glorifying… Heroism and martyrdom, a reminder of the importance of clinging to the land, an emphasis on extreme audacity and the absence of any form of fear of the occupation and its deadly weapons, and a reference to the weak positions of the international community and the great powers. In the song “Land of Canaan,” for example, the singer refers to Tamim Al-Barghouti, Abdel-Wahab Al-Mesiri, and Edward Said.
Therefore, Arab rap addresses the issue of Palestine in all its dimensions, including the historical or ideological dimension, even if it presents all of this in the form of short, sharp phrases, not caring much about meter or rhyme, and of course not caring about any moral authority over the wording. The band donated all profits from the video to the Palestinian people.
Rap songs reacting to the recent events used pictures and video clips of bombing and destruction in the Gaza Strip, as well as short sentences from news bulletins, and statements by the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, in which the scenes were repeatedly filmed in demolished buildings and random backgrounds, in order to resemble the buildings of Gaza that were destroyed. Destroyed by bombing.
It is noted that advocacy for Palestine through rap songs is spreading across most Arab countries, and those who browse social media sites can find modern rap songs by singers from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, and also find corresponding works by singers from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, and even the Arab Gulf states.
Although the Egyptian rapper Wiggs did not present a clear lyrical work for the Palestinian cause or the Gaza Strip in its current ordeal, his public solidarity with the Palestinian people changed the view of many people with generalized judgments who have always looked with disapproval at singers of this type, as well as at the audiences who gather to listen to them.
In each of his recent concerts, Wiggs made one or more signs of solidarity with the Palestinians, either by wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh, wearing the Palestinian flag, or chanting for the freedom of Palestine. He did this in the United States of America, Canada, and most European capitals, amid huge crowds, and in forums whose entrance tickets sold out two weeks before their scheduled date. Many conservatives realized that rap had a front-line position on the line of lyrical solidarity with Palestine.
