Egyptian hip hop
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Egyptian hip hop is a new, raw, audacious and exciting form of music coming from the North African country incorporating issues of the region and abroad.
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[edit] History
Egypt was one of the very first civilizations in the world. Being one of the first civilizations, it was the conqueror and conquered throughout 5000 years of history. As a result of being "touched" by the sciences, arts, problems, wars, etc. of other empires, Egypt was on a ground that allowed for social, economic, and political problems to arise. Even five thousand years later, Egypt still continues to struggle with various political, social, and economic problems which sparked the few generation of hip hop in Egypt. However, the hip hop scene in Egypt is a slow one, as the Egyptian government strictly enforces censorship and can imprison people daring to speak against the government. People in Egypt do not care much about activism and those that do are quickly shut down by the government. The new generation of Egyptian youth are fighting for a new change and one of the few ways they do that is through hip hop. As a result, new hip hop artists look towards a hip hop scene so that they can fight for a better social and political cause in Egypt[1]
[edit] American Influence
Ever since hip hop first began in America, it spread throughout the world quickly, even through areas where hip hop was never heard of. Hip-hop in Egypt was dead in the 1990s, however in the 2000s it emerged as a young and soon-to-be popular scene throughout Egypt, especially the youth. One piece of technology that helped spread hip-hop throughout Egypt were satellites installed on roofs on almost every Egyptian home. With its one-time fee and rare monthly costs it provides all types of music around the world to be viewed in a single television set. Music channels such as Melody Hits and Mazzika emerged, which incorporated Egyptian songs and mostly American hip-hop music. The coolness and fashion statement that American hip hop spreads around the world has made Egyptians think American hip-hop artists define coolness. This cause upcoming artists, such as Shabaan Abdel-Rahim and hip hop group MTM an advantage to forming the first hip hop scene.
[edit] Islamic Influence
Egyptian Hip-Hop is fairly different from hip-hop around the world. The justice they fight for to a unique Arabian beat taps into the unique soul of Egypt. Traditional instruments such as the oud and Egyptian flute adds an Arabian beat to the hip hop scene. But one particular impact to hip-hop is the Islamic religion. The Holy Quran is a book consisting of laws and rules Muslims must follow. With Egpyt being a predominantly Islamic society and the government following some Islamic law, the Islamic society expects a limit to certain things that cause evil, such as showing off one's wealth, objectification of women, causing evil up one another, hatred, etc. Due to this, Islam plays a significant role in the hip-hop scene in Egypt. As a verse states, “God advocates justice, charity, and regarding the relatives. And He forbids evil, vice, and transgression He enlightens you, that you may take heed.” (Surah 16 Verse 90). This verse tells Muslims that good and evil are not equal and to always perform good actions towards others. Muslims can interpret this "evil" as the objectification of women, showing off the "bling," doing inappropriate things, or anything else involved with consumerism and capitalism[2]. As a result, Egyptian hip-hop artists have transcended American hip-hop in that they have maintained their musical and moral integrity as musicians. The Islamic fundamentals infused in rap have revolutionized a young hip-hop scene in Egypt resulting in rappers expressing their beliefs without unnecessary American capitalism and objectification. In the end, they focus on pure rap to express their feelings, resisting the capitalism and consumerism of the West.
[edit] Hip-Hop Artists
Hip-hop artists in Egypt tried to gain national recognition in the 1990s, but failed to do so [3]. Some of the reasons could be the love/dance music of prominent singers such as Amr Diab or Hakim. However, one artist emerged into becoming a hip-hop mogul and sparked interest in the hip-hop scene. His name is Shaban Abdel-Rehim and he was one of the first artists to speak out about social and economic problems that are occurring around the world. He grew up in a family of laundry pressers in a a village named Mit Halfa. His low paying job and struggles financially has pushed him to speak against the issues occurring in the world. Paul Beldon of Asia Times states “One can't really imagine him composing a love song or expressing unity of any sort. His music is a reflection of himself and his upbringing of deprivation: an illiterate ironworker, the son of another illiterate ironworker, raised in the small village of Mit Halfa in Egypt”[4]. Abdel-Rahim, however, retorts that “Just because [he is] an ironer, it doesn’t mean that [he] can’t speak out about our troubled life”[5]. Living in a country where censorship is enforced and freedom of speech could cause jail time and/or fines, Abdel-Rehim instead blames Egypt's problems on Israel and America. His various songs include, “I Hate Israel”, “Arab Leaders”, “Hate is a Trivial Thing O Israel”, and “We are All Out of Patience.” “I Hate Israel” and “Hate is a Trivial Thing O Israel “ talks about the problems Israel and America causes throughout the world and blames Egypt’s social, economic, and political problems on these two countries. However, most Egyptians disagree and look at him as a joke. Some even want to get rid of him due to his extreme political views. His strong lyrics, videos, and messages he conveys calls for all Egyptians to unite and fight for the freedom and justice they once had thousands of years ago. As a result of this, Abdel-Rahim sparked interest in other hip-hop groups/artitsts, especially the hip hop group MTM who take a different approach on hip hop.
MTM, the initials of the first name of singers Miki, Taki, and Mado, are a group of Egyptian hip-hop artists spreading their word that it’s time for Egypt to change and become more “Westernized.” Their hip-ho music focuses on ways to better Egypt, socially and economically. Their lyric brings a positive style to rap since they often "make fun" of the various issues in Egypt. One of their famous songs, "Lazem Bokra" goes as far as making fun of Egyptians, stating they are selfish, old school people refusing to change for a better good.
[edit] Future of Hip-Hop
New hip-hop artists are emerging to express the political, social, financial, and economic issues that lurk over Egypt. Like its American counterpart, Egyptian Hip Hop allows artists to express their political and social expressions.
[edit] References
- ^ Atia, Tarek. 2001. “Shabaan!.” In Al-Ahram Weekly. 18 - 24 January, No.517.
- ^ Cooke, Miriam and Laurence, Bruce, “Muslim Networks: From Hajj to Hip Hop.” The Islamic Salon, SamiaSergeldon 155-170, University of North Carolina Press, 2005
- ^ Atia, Tarek. 2001. “Shabaan!.” In Al-Ahram Weekly. 18 - 24 January, No.517
- ^ lden, Paul. 2003. “Singing Out Against the War” In Asia Times, April 5, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED05Ak03.html
- ^ Veash, Nicole. 2002. “Pop Crooner Hits Sour Note with Egyptian Elite.” In The Christian Science Monitor. January 18
- Loza, Pierre. "Hip hop on the Nile". Al-Ahram Weekly
- ShababRappers.CoM "WwW.ShababRappers.CoM".
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