Palestinian Hip Hop
Beginning in the late 1990s, Palestinian youth forged a new Palestinian musical sub-genre – Palestinian rap or hip hop – which blends Arabic melodies and Western beats, with lyrics in Arabic, English and even Hebrew.
Borrowing from traditional rap music that first emerged in the ghettos of Los Angeles and New York in the 1970s, "young Palestinian musicians have tailored the style to express their own grievances with the social and political climate in which they live and work"
DAM were pioneers in forging this blend. As Arab citizens of Israel, they rap in Arabic, Hebrew, and English often challenging stereotypes about Palestinians and Arabs head-on in songs like "Meen Erhabe?" ("Who's a terrorist?")
More peculiar is the West Bank group Ramallah Underground, found by the two brothers Aswatt, Boikutt and Stormtrap. Their sound is a mix of hip hop, trip hop, downtempo alongside traditional Arab music.
Some Palestinians have even broken into the Western hip hop world, like DJ Khaled. Khaled, born of Palestinian immigrants, is a DJ, radio personality, hip hop producer, and record label executive. In 2009, Khaled became the president of record label Def Jam South. He has worked with many artists, including, Usher, Lil' Wayne, Drake, T-Pain, Akon, Fat Joe, Rick Ross and more.
Read more about this topic: Music Of Palestine
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