Khan Yunis rapper trio says music, not violence will end occupation
By The Associated Press KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip - Three young Palestinians say there's a better way to oppose the Israeli occupation than the violence that they worry tarnishes their people's image for too many in the West. They are relying on rap music. Their band PR, or Palestinian Rappers, rejects violence and instead dramatizes the Palestinians' plight in songs with names like "Freedom" and "Our Screams." "Rap music was founded in the United States, so by singing rap we can't be called terrorists," says band member Mohammed Farrah, 19, who goes by the nicknames "D.R." and "Dynamic Rapper." "The only way for us to fight occupation is through rap singing." Farrah and fellow band members Moutaz Hwehy, or "Mezo," and Mahmud Abdallah, "Bond," grew up on MTV, where they listened to Tupac, Eminem and other rappers sing about poverty, violence and other problems. They decided to explore their people's ordeal through rap, too. "Where's the freedom?" the rappers ask in their song "Freedom." "I'm the son of Salam, I was born a long time ago but I'm still asking who I am. I exist. To be or not to be?" The band got together in 2002. Even now, they still cut a curious figure in the conservative Islamic society of Gaza, where people stare at the spiky hair and American rapper garb of basketball shirts, baggy cotton pants, and Nike sneakers and hats. They meet regularly in a small room in the crowded town of Khan Yunis to blast their music, but perform only twice a year. They performed in Ireland last year, and dream of appearing in the United States. But in poverty-stricken Gaza, they haven't been able to put together enough money to record their music. see also How is the Islamic faith delivering the message from Allah through rap? True Believer From ages past music in some form has been used to Praise the One. In Qur'an we find "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty." Allah (swt) did not give birds their song to suppress nor did He create the winds that blow through rocks or trees to create beautiful sounds to be ignored or not copied. http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/islamichiphop.shtml http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2004/10/31664.php Hip Hop: the subliminal criminal: Pick up a stone http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/40536.php and Hip hop in the holy land "He's an MC, I'm MC. We're all doing music. If we're Arabs - if we're Jews - that doesn't matter" - rapper Quami De La Fox http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/39516.php Islamic hip Hop dred-i 3 track CD: "Revolutionary Crunk Muzik: The Black Panther Party Meets Soul Train". http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2004/10/31600.php and Hurricane Angel "luckily, i was half cat": http://omnipresentrecords.com/ishaq/?media_id=8 and http://www.sleepybrain.net/vanilla.html Mp3 Download here: http://ottawa.indymedia.ca/en/2005/05/951.shtml http://bc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/1886/index.php and UKHIP HOP: Yoshi Interview Then I just get home, sit down and make the concepts in my head into reality, and watch how they never cease to change and evolve once they're out of my head, and how no idea or concept no matter how good it is, will stay completely the same in your mind. John Coltrane spoke about the same thing with regards to getting the music in his head out into the real world of sound. But anyway, technically I use my computer, I got a mixer, a nice mic, and a Korg Keyboard, two nice monitors and a compressor which doesn't work right now. It's all about what you do with it though, what's in your mind. http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2005/06/41736.php http://www.nefisa.co.uk * http://www.brightonhiphop.com * http://www.muslimyouth.net http://www.ukhh.com/features/interviews/yoshi/index.html and CFUV interview with Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite pt 1 download Max Sloan has a conversation author Lawrence ytzhak Braithwaite on witchhunts, gangs, terrorist, gentrifcation and fear culture on Sad and Beautiful World/ fri 16 may 2003 http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2005/06/42117.php or http://bc.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/2640 See also: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/593814.html ___\ Stay Strong\ \ "Be a friend to the oppressed and an enemy to the oppressor" --Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib (as)\ \ http://www.sleepybrain.net/vanilla.html \ http://www.world-crisis.com/analysis_comments/766_0_15_0_C/ \ http://ilovepoetry.com/search.asp?keywords=braithwaite&orderBy=date \ http://www.lowliferecords.co.uk/ \ \ }
