Hip-Hop Follows Oppression

Michael Alles            3/23/16

Hip-Hop Follows Oppression

Revolutionary fist spray painted in Tahir Square during the Egyptian Revolution.

Photo Taken From Flikr: 

https://flic.kr/p/aEPVX4

Since its origination in the South Bronx, hip-hop has made it’s way to all areas of the world. Through the process of commercialization, and with much help from U.S. mass media, it has became accepted by larger portions of society, and even political figures. The U.S.state department’s “hip-hop envoys” helped bring the movement to areas in the Middle East (Aidi 2011). Because of the conditions being faced by those living in the Arab Spring, hip-hop was easily absorbed and used to convey their discontent. In many areas of the Arab Spring, hip-hop avoided being “watered down” by commercialization, instead expressing deep messages of revolution and political critique. Hip-hop played an important part in the spread of revolutionary ideals throughout the Arab Spring.

A member of the U.S. Embassy in London described the arts as “an important way to reach potentially hostile audiences”(Aidi 2011). As the State Department sent “hip-hop ambassadors” (Aidi, 2011,p. 27) to parts of the middle east, africa and asia, they reached audiences, but not in the way they desired. Most of the people living in these countries faced oppressive autocratic regimes, that were supported by the U.S. for economic and political stability. Rather than sending the stars that expressed solidarity with Muslim youth (such as Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, and Rakim), they sent artists who they believed would send a less political message(Aidi,2011, p.37). The Middle Eastern audiences appropriated and transformed Hip-Hop to voice their frustrations and political ideals (Kahf 2007).  

Arab states quickly recognized that hip-hop was a threat to their oppressive regimes. In Tunisia for example, Ben Ali monitored many rappers, and imprisoned those who spoke out directly against him (Amar,Prashad, 2013). Although governments tried to block the circulation of political rap, many artists uploaded music videos onto proxy servers, critiquing the government over images of protests and clashes with police. On November 7, 2010, El General, a Tunisian rapper, uploaded the track “Head of State”, a direct attack on Ben Ali. The track invites the president to come down to the streets and see the conditions citizens have to face every day. Many areas of the country suffered from extreme poverty and harsh policing tactics, similar to the condition faced by those in the South Bronx in the 1970’s.

El General’s track quickly spread throughout the Arab Spring, from Egypt to Bahrain, as a symbol of revolution against oppression. There are many examples throughout the Middle East that show hip-hop's expression of conflicts, such as DAM’s single “Who’s the terrorist?”, commenting on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Despite not being signed to a record label,the song has been downloaded millions of times from arabic hip-hop fans (Kahf 2007). This shows that the hip-hop that sells in the Middle East is the hip-hop that sends a political message, and helps to organize people against a government.

Graffiti is another element of hip-hop that has helped the revolutionary efforts in the arab spring. In many areas of Egypt in 2011, artists spread messages through murals on government buildings and public facilities. These murals often depicted brutal attacks by the police, or commemorated fallen victims killed in protest. The graffiti also portrayed feminist values, showing women revolutionaries on the front lines of protests, often with superhero-like qualities (Amar, Prashad, 2013).

As said by the London rapper Lowkey, “Hip-hop at its best has exposed power, challenged power, it hasn’t served power.”(Aidi, 2011,p. 36). Compared to the commercialized rappers who acted as “hip-hop ambassadors” for the U.S., the rappers of the Arab Spring have consistently continued incorporating their political agenda into their music. Because of this, Chuck D went so far as to suggest that these middle eastern rappers have surpassed american artists in all the basic fundamentals of hip-hop.(Aidi, 2011, p. 38). Hip-hop will always continue to give voice to those oppressed,and serve as a successful tool in organizing communities, no matter what area of the world.

Works Cited

Aidi, H.. (2011). The Grand (Hip-Hop) Chessboard: Race, Rap and Raison d'État. Middle East Report, (260), 25–39. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41408017

Amar, P., & Prashad, V. (2013). Dispatches from the Arab spring: Understanding the new Middle East. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Usama Kahf. 2007. “Arabic Hip Hop:Claims of Authenticity and Identity of a New Genre,” I Journal of Popular Music Studies,19:4, pp.359-385.