The street cred of Gaza
Mohammed Al-Faraa, a Khan Yunis resident, is only 21, but is known all over the coastal strip, along with his two peers in the group Palestinian Rappers, PR for short.
By Avi IssacharoffGAZA - Rapper D.R. (Dynamic Rapper) enters an upscale restaurant in the city center in the early afternoon. A beautiful young American woman named Jackie escorts him to the table and sits with him. He is full of smiles and high-fives, and his black eyes peek out above the rims of his fashionable sunglasses. Everyone here knows him. He is very skinny, wears a sleeveless shirt and low-riding Bermudas that look like they could fall down at any moment; on his head is a red baseball cap over a hairnet, not unlike rapper 50 Cent - and on his feet are sneakers, obviously.
"I don't want to imitate the Americans; I'm a proud Palestinian," says D.R., a.k.a. Mohammed al-Faraa. The place: Gaza City. The restaurant - Ma'atuk, on Omar al-Mukhtar street, next to the Hezbollah support tent set up by Islamic Jihad.
Al-Faraa, a Khan Yunis resident, is only 21, but is known all over the coastal strip, along with his two peers in the group Palestinian Rappers, PR for short. He looks like a real rap star, standing out in gray, militant Gaza. But PR's lyrics bring us back exactly to where we are. "The peoples' tragedy" is the name of a song they wrote about the 1948 Nakba ("catastrophe," the founding of the State of Israel). "That which occupied our lives, destroyed all our opportunities, the massacre commited, Sabra, Chatila and the deportation ... 1948," sing al-Faraa and his comrades Ayman Magames and Mahmoud Fayyad, a.k.a. Kana'an.
When rapped the words indeed sound less militant, but maybe the lyrics are the reason the group's concerts were not banned in Gaza.
"In our society some like us, and of course some condemn us," Magames says. "After they heard what we have to say, there were no more allegations about our trying to be like the Americans. As Palestinian-Arab rappers we convey a message of rage. Rap started in the United States as a protest against racism. Our protest here is against the Gaza reality. Some of the Palestinians express their rage by throwing rocks; we do it through rap. It is better than stones, because violence only breeds more violence."
Can't take away my art
When asked whether they are the only rap group in Gaza, they respond with a triumphant smile. "Shitloads, there are so many rappers in the city today you can hardly count them," al-Faraa says. "We started in 2003 and since then dozens of young people have been trying their luck in rap."
It appears Gaza also boasts a female rapper - Nivin, a 17-year-old, sings a love song with the trio.
"We don't see any money out of music, forget about it. We have to pay the recording studio, and every song costs us NIS 300," says al-Faraa. "For months we have been saving money for a studio, and it takes a lot of our time. Our dream is for the Palestinian issue to be known all over the world. That when I chat with someone on the Web and tell him where I'm from, I won't be accused of being a murderer. I hope they realize the Palestinian message is a message of peace. I had five friends who were killed in the intifada, and those gone will not come back. But I don't hate the Israelis, only the Israeli government that deprives me of my freedom and liberty; but it cannot take away my art."
A mention of Israeli rappers stirs mixed reactions. "We don't like Subliminal," Fayyad says. "I don't see him as an Israeli, but as a Zionist. He hates Arabs, and I'm addressing his message. But if there is a group of rappers with a message of peace, we can work with them. Subliminal aside, we are ready to work with any Israeli rapper. We already played in Israel, at Peki'in. There was an American Idol-style show there, and we were guests of honor. There were even Israeli cops and soldiers in the crowd."
During our meeting, the three look through the window of the al-Masharaq building, the site of their recording studio. From there the Gaza beach can be seen, but the PR crew is concerned about a parade of armed men passing below the building - thousands of members of the various security apparatuses demonstrating against the Hamas government. The armed men fire their guns, and the rappers seem amused. "I took part in demonstrations when the intifada began," says al-Faraa. "At the end of 2000 I was even shot with a live bullet. Since then I stopped going to demonstrations."
Drugs no, narghile yes
They enter the studio. Al-Faraa at the center, as is fitting for a star, and Magames and Fayyad at his sides. "Heyna ana jai, heyna ana jai" (Here I come), they begin - and are surprised to hear the Israeli rap group Hadag Nahash sings the same lyrics. But PR's song does not deal with the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv relationship, but rather criticizes Arab singers Nancy Ajram and Haifa Wehbi, who might be described as the Arab versions of Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears. "They only show off their bodies and put no meaning in their songs, no message, sort of show girls," Magames says.
The rhythm picks up, and the trio is into the beat. Al-Faraa leads with his hand gestures. Like the best of American rap, he also repeatedly cups his groin, and the song ends in English: "Get out of the way, bitch."
"We don't curse," he says. "Look, when my parents understood I intended to be a rapper, they had conditions - that I stay in school and keep the tradition. We live in Gaza in a Muslim society, and we plan to keep living here. We started rapping while studying at the university, after we heard songs on the Internet. At the beginning we played before different audiences in Gaza. We left for Ramallah and then we toured abroad. We had concerts in Ireland, the British embassy flew us there to play for the Arab community, but ultimately it is clear to me that my home and land is in Gaza.
"Therefore there are a few things we don't do, like drugs. We do like to smoke narghile. We even have a song about the narghile, whose lyrics make you think at first that the song is about sexual relations between a guy and a girl, and then you realize it is actually a love song for a narghile."
What about groupies, post concert sex?
"We are Arabs, we are bound by a certain tradition. I cannot walk in Gaza with girls or whores around me like rappers abroad. It's not our thing. Sometimes we sing about love, a mate, and even about girls who only care about makeup and a good time. But you have to understand something. With the girls in Gaza you can only look. You cannot talk to them. If I approach them, it could get messy."
At the end of the day they leave their dreams of a rap career at the studio and descend the stairs from the sixth floor, since frequent power failures have grounded the elevators. Exiting to the street they are met by the dozens of armed men coming back from the demonstration. Welcome back to Gaza reality.
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what would you know, ur english and you brought this upon us. when someone kicks you out your house to the streets you will understand you dick
Look at the cause not the symptom. Israel's problem with Lebanon has always been with the rogue elements that have based themselves in that land. The 1982 invasion as well as the recent fighting was a direct response and result of aggression. A simple search on Wikipedia (Lebanon war 1982) will give you more details. Once Lebanon can free itself from being a proxy state for others, I can assure you that it will have the same relationship that Jordan has with Israel. Maybe not best friends but certainly civil neighbours. Quoting Jacobo Timerman as a subject matter specialist scores you no points, as it is opinion only and there are hundreds like him on both sides left and right that could have been quoted.
Be careful you dont fall off that soap box of yours. Far from being a rage/hate filled person living in the past I think (show me otherwise) that I am far more qualified to comment than yourself. I'll tell you why. I have served in the Israeli army, voted Ratz (Citizens rights movement with a shared Arab/Israeli platform) in the '96 elections, attended the peace demonstation where Rabin was shot, voted Meretz (left wing) in the subsequent elections, have spent reserve duty in both Gaza and the West Bank, and have both Palestinian and Arab friends. Unlike yourself, relying solely on news reports at best, I have a complete view encompassing the opinions from both sides. There are times when I am opinionated and take a side and defend my position. This time it was on the Israeli side. My suggestion to you would be to try and get a better understanding from both sides and come to your own conclusions instead of spewing out the usual diatribe and sounding like an indoctrinated robot.
Better said that it was Israel who caused massive problems for the Lebanese people. What happened in 1982 when they invaded Lebanon and destroyed the country causing deaths en masse, then occupied Lebanon for 20 years, and now just re-attacked Lebanon in 2006, destroying cities, causing more deaths and injuries. Imagine, Israel not having a problem with the Lebanese people, yet doing all this to them. Even the Zionist military reporter and writer Jacobo Timerman who had been tortured in his native Argentina and accompanied the Israeli military into Lebanon after their attack in 1982 left Israel three years later as he would not be a part of such a society, and did not want his own grandchildren to have to participate in any future wars such as this after seeing what Israel did.
Hi Daniel, You sound like a rage-filled, hate-filled person living in the past and enjoying the demonization of entire nationalities. Furthermore, your assertion that "we have no issue with the Lebanese people" may or may not be true, but the truth is that Israel just slaughtered more than 1,000 random Lebanese, overwhelmingly innocent civilians. Playing the righteous victim and at the same time the nice guy with no problems with anyone, and at the same time supporting the collective imprisonment of over a million Gazans and the destruction of Lebanon this summer is so many logical contradictions I don't know where to begin. So kindly take George's advice, do us all a favor, and don't come back until you have something honest and constructive to say. Peace is not merely an option, it is inevitable. Truth is a one-way valve, and humanity is a stronger force than blustering hatred. Try, Daniel, to figure out how to speed peace up, not slow it down. Salaam/Shalom.
As a former raver and house music lover I am in full support of any idea that uses music to bridge divisions. Unfortunately, my thoughts go back a number of years ago to an outdoor rave at the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv, where a suicide bomber mingled with people waiting in line to get in and then blew himself up killing 21 people all under the age of 32. There was another attempt to replicate this massacre 5 months later outside the same place but the bomber was captured so forgive me if I sound skeptical. Does this sound to you like trying to bridge differences through music? I applaud you for your vision and efforts but then Israel never had a problem with the Lebanese people so this may work. If it does, I will be the first to get out my glow sticks!
Rap creates crime. It is rage. Rage is not music.
Right ON George!
First of all, Daniel King should honestly shut up. Second of all, as a Lebanese dj, i have clearly found out that the only way Arabs and Israelis can communicate and reach peace is thru art and cultural exchange. Being part of the www.lebaneseravers.com/forum, we have managed to get in touch with many israeli dj's and artists, and have a few israeli members on this forum. Our dj's have exchanged recorded sets to be played on Israeli and Lebanese radio stations. As cheesy as it may sound to people like Mr King and other skeptics, music does unite people no matter who they are. Jordan hosts a summer festival called Distant Heat. The 2007 one plans to combine Jordanian, Lebanese and Israeli artists on one stage. Hows THAT for real peace?
A great story. But why do all talk backs immediately result in anger and recriminations? The arts are a positive way to express a myriad of emotions and positions. As a Jew, I applaud and support these artists. The arts can bridge the divides between peoples. Rap for peace and understanding!
Actually, far from being brainwashed I think I have a far more rational and less emotional understanding than yourself. Ask yourself why after exiting from Gaza does Israel still need to monitor and at times close entry points? Are the tunnels from the Egyptian side of Gaza being used to transfer flour? No. Haven't there been numerous cases of fishing vessels being caught with weapons. Yes. Funny how the Erez crossing that allows Palestinians into Israel always seems to be a target by the extremist Palestinian element so what would you expect? It may be like an open prison, but even to be in an open prison you have to have commited a crime. Salam my friend
It's so ridiculous how people abroad are brainwashed by the Israeli propaganda machine!! If I had squatted in your house for years, then announced that I was leaving it, but when I did, I built a sealed cage around it, that's not really "freedom" is it? When Israelis left Gaza, they still controlled all entry and exit of people and goods (even the Rafah crossing which has been closed since June by Israeli orders). Israel did not allow the airport to open, did not allow the seaport to be built, and did not allow fishermen to enter more than a few hundred yards into the sea. Now you may call that freedom, but we call it an open-air prison. Unless you can explain to me why I'm wrong (not to be confused with justifying the reasons why I'm not, because then you refute your own earlier post), please re-think your understanding of the situation. I wish we did what Lebanon did, rebuild our airport anyway and fly a plane to it.
the Palestinian rapper says "I don't hate the Israelis, only the Israeli government that deprives me of my freedom and liberty" er...that would be the government that withdrew from Gaza and left you to your own devices, right? So how come you are still being deprived of your freedom and liberty? Surely those fun loving liberal Hamas types would grant you those basic human rights? No? I thought not.