From Sudan to Iraq: Pan-Arabism and Its Influence on the Regional Hip-Hop Scene
By Banah Khamis
Over the past few years, we have seen artists from Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine all pay respect to each other through music as a way to bridge the gap between the geographic and musical differences in the Middle East. Looking back to past rap battles that initially started in Lebanon which resulted in bringing many amazing artists together from all over the Arab world, collaborating to create amazing work. Even during the pandemic, the quarantine didn’t stop them from collaborating to make music together.
This music scene has connected talented artists from all over the Arab world and brought them together simply for their love to create good and influential music. Scroll down to check out some of the artists collaborating across the Middle East, proving just how much closer the hip-hop scene has brought them and us together!
Rexus, Salproductionz, DJ Teddy Jam: ‘Zola’
This Sudanese and Emarati collaboration shows just how much music is elevated when it is influenced by a variety of sounds. Sudanese artist, Rexus, brings a take on Sudanese afro-beats into this track while still utilizing traditional Sudanese musical elements such as the percussion and its vocals, creating a beautiful fusion of sound on the track ‘Zola’.
Narcy featuring: ‘Hamdulillah’
Iraqi-Canadian rapper and journalist, Narcy, is currently based in Quebec, and has been making music since the 2000s. In his track ‘Hamdulillah’, Narcy collaborated with British-Palestinian singer and rapper, Shadia Mansour, where he raps about his city of origin, Basra, that had been under siege during the Iraq-US War. Throughout the track, Narcy and Mansour sing an ode to their people as they ponder whether their homeland will ever be the same once they return back to it.
Bu Kolthoum featuring Malikah: ‘Jab A’ar’
Syrian rapper Bu Koltoum collaborates with Lebanese rapper, Malikah to create his track ‘Jab A’ar’ its where both artists rap about the realities of the world from Islamophobia, to US intervention in the Middle East, to the media’s portrayal of Arab’s.
Muayyad Al-Nafei, LNV, Dafencii, Booda, Ayman Mao: ‘Indaaba’
On their track ‘Indaaba’, Sudanese and Saudi rappers Muayyad Al-Nafei, LNV, Dafencii, Booda, and Ayman Mao, all collaborated to make a hit. On this track, they join forces on their collective and mixed both Sudanese and Saudi rap to attract both respective audiences.
Narcy featuring Mashrou Leila: ‘Time’
In this track, both the Iraqi-Candian rapper Narcy and the Lebanese indie rock band, Mashrou’ Leila collaborated to create a song titled ‘Time’. Both artists succeeded in attracting their respective audiences.
In this track, Narcy raps about his coming-of-age struggles such as losing his father, while Hamed Sinno’s voice serenades the listeners between verses.
