1 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

through Hip Hop

Hip hop culture developed in the 1970s by disenfranchised youth in African

American and Latino communities seeking a way to express political and

cultural discontent. This art form enables young people to respond to the

social, economic, and political realities in which they live. Hip hop began in

New York City and quickly spread around the world as a popular form of

artistic expression. It took root in the Middle East in the 1990s quickly

became a po pular musical style in both Arabic and Hebrew.

Growing up in highly politicized environments, both Israeli and Palestinian

youth have embraced hip hop as a way of expressing their perspectives on

the political situation in their country. This lesson provides the lyrics of four

Israeli Israeli hip hop songs and four Palestinian hip hop songs along with

discussion questions for each song. These materials provide a forum to

emphasize the differing perspectives on the conflict and for students to

understand the multiple narratives and understandings of the conflict.

About the Artists:

DAM: Dam is a Palestinian hip hop group based in Lod, Israel, and founded

in 1999 by Tamar Nafar, Suhell Nafar and Mahmoud Jreri. DAM is an

acronym for Da Arabian MCs and also means forever in Arabic and blood in

Hebrew. They rap primarily in Palestinian Arabic, but also have some songs

in Hebrew and English. They sing primarily about the Palestinian-Israel

conflict and the dissatisfaction they feel from both the Israeli and Palestinian

leaders. They also talk about the poverty and poor living conditions of

Palestinians.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1691246,00.html

http://www.slingshothiphop.com/posts/ http://damrap.com

2 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Ramallah Underground: Based in Ramallah, the Ramallah Underground

strive to give voice to a generation of Palestinians in a situation of economic,

artistic, and political difficulty. Their music combines hip hop with traditional

Middle Eastern music as a commitment to raising awareness of their local

culture. Stormtrap, Boikutt, and Aswatt rap in Arabic only.

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=9221

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/hip-hop-singer-conveys-hope-under-occupation-1.190771

Subliminal: Subliminal (Kobi Shimoni) is an Israeli artist from Tel Aviv and

is considered the founder of Zionist hip hop. He began rapping in the 1990s

with his partner Hatzel (Yosi Eliavi) and produced their first album of

patriotic songs in 2000, following the outbreak of the second intifada.

Subliminal is uses his music to inspire Israeli youth to stand together as a

unified nation.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-11-06-hiphop-usat_x.htm

http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/article/israeli_rapper_subliminal_has_built_a_music_empire_20080519/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/israeli-hip-hop-takes-u-s-20041028

HaDag Nachash: HaDag Nachash, which means Fish Snake, is one of

Israel‟s most popular hip hop groups, with six albums released. Their songs

call for peace, tolerance, and equality and include themes of political and

social protest. The band is involved in local in social action work throughout

Israel and, in 2010, was awarded the “Activist of the Year” award in 2010.

http://www.jpost.com/topic/Hadag_Nahash http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2004/08/16/david-

grossmans/ http://hadagnahash.com/?lang=en

Muki Muki is an Israeli singer and rapper best known as the leader of the

Israeli hip hop act Shabak Samech. Muki‟s first solo album was released in

2001 after the start of the second intifada and included songs calling for

peace, such as “talking about peace” and “the land cries.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muki_(singer)

3 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Hip Hop and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/mixing_desk/2006/08/levantine_hiphop_

101.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/oct/26/israelandthepalestinians.popandrock

http://www.hillel.org/NR/rdonlyres/137BF7D8-C7F1-4FA5-B91E-6A964D39F419/0/talkspace_GPmicrophone.pdf

About Palestinian Hip Hop

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/05/03/the_arab_league_of_hip

_hop http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=8343

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3613/rap_the_casbah/ http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/07/22/rapping_the_revolution

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/06/09/137067390/the-rap-songs-of-the-arab-spring

About Israeli Hip Hop

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-11-06-hiphop-usat_x.htm

http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/land-of-no-hop-1.4354 http://www.forward.com/articles/126435/

http://www.nyu.edu/pubs/anamesa/archive/spring_2007_democracy/Korat.

pdf

4 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Comparing Israeli and Palestinian Hip Hop Music

1. In reviewing Palestinian and Israeli hip hop music, what are the major themes that emerge? Why do you think there are such significant differences

between Israeli and Palestinian music? (This is a good place to talk about democracy and freedom of expression)

2. Subliminal, the Israeli artist, was in part responsible for discovering DAM

and DAM‟s growth to fame. Subliminal and DAM were friends and even performed some music together. Eventually they parted ways, due to

differences in politics. What are those differences? Why do you think they could no longer work together? Do you think there is a way for DAM and

Subliminal to work together despite differences in political opinions?

3. Think about some of today‟s American hip hop. How do they compare to

Israeli and Palestinian hip hop? What sort of issues are American artists rapping about?

5 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Min Irhabi, Who is a Terrorist?

By DAM

1. What is this song about?

2. Define terrorist? What makes someone a terrorist?

3. How does the song define terrorist? Do you agree or disagree with this? Why?

4. Throughout the song, DAM says “you” (ex: line 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15,

etc.) Who is the „you‟ they are referring to? How do you think the „you‟ would respond to this song?

5. In the second stanza, DAM says “Why am I a terrorist? Because I‟m not indifferent?/I‟m hotheaded because I walk with my head up

high/Trying to defend my land/…/But I‟ll keep on crying out loud.” What do they mean by crying? Is that crying considered terrorism?

What can DAM and other Palestinians do to “defend their land” and

“cry out loud”?

6. In lines 35-36, DAM says” I‟m not against peace, peace is against me/It wants to eliminate me, to erase my heritage.” What do you

think that means?

7. Ghandi said “Violence breeds violence...Pure goals can never justify

impure or violent action...” How do you think DAM would respond to Ghandi?

6 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Ng’ayeer Bokra, Change Tomorrow

By Dam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QAKJHfvx5E

1. What is this song about? What is the main message that DAM is sending in this song?

2. In the chorus, DAM sings that “we want education, we want

improvement/to have the ability to change tomorrow.” Can education contribute to the ability to change tomorrow? How?

3. In the first stanza, how does DAM describe the reality of life? What is

DAM‟s message to the next generation?

4. In lines 19-21 DAM asks the “small kids of this big world” to seek out equality and if someone asks them to hate, DAM encourages them to say

no. Who might ask the younger generation to hate? How can they say no?

5. Have you ever been asked or told to do something by an adult and not done it? What was that like?

6. In lines 37-39 DAM says that “we failed…we cried.‟ What does that

mean?

7. In the final stanza, DAM encourages the youth not to resort to violence but to “grab a pen and write.” Is that an effective way to create change?

How can you use a pen to effect change?

7 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Mali Huriya, I Don’t Have Freedom

By DAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P1ACAklfiY

1. What is this song about?

2. The title of the song is “I Don‟t Have Freedom.” According to DAM, what is freedom? According to you, what is freedom? Do you think you

have freedom? Why/why not?

3. In the chorus, DAM sings “Why can‟t I be free like other children in this world?” Do you agree that other children in the world are free?

Why/why not?

4. In line 35-36 DAM says “Our leaders only flavor their speeches/Opening their mouths but shutting out hope.” What does

that mean? What do DAM think of their leaders? What do you think of your leaders?

5. In lines 50-54 DAM says that the purpose of the occupation is to suffocate the Palestinians. What do you think of that? How do you

think an Israeli would respond to that?

6. In lines 57-58, DAM says that “The US has made it their 51st state.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What do you think President Obama would say to that?

7. Do you think comparing the Palestinians to the Native Americans is an adequate comparison? Why/why not?

8. What is the purpose of the little girl reading the poem at the end?

What does she say? Do you agree with her? Does DAM?

8 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Min al Kahaf, From the Cave

Ramallah Underground

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7EtoUO9V-c

1. What is this song about? What is Ramallah Underground trying to say?

2. What does Ramallah Underground say about Palestinian leaders?

About other Arab leaders?

3. In the opening stanza, Ramallah Underground criticizes the effects of the politician and the diplomat. What is it that politicians and

diplomats do? Do you think they can work effectively? Do you think they can help solve the Palestinian situation? Why/why not?

4. In lines 28-32, Ramallah Underground compares life to a bicycle tire. Explain the metaphor.

5. The song is sung in the second person. Who do you think Ramallah

Underground is addressing?

6. The song ends by saying that “politics keeps pulling at me…it tells me „I‟m a part of your life, you cannot resist me.” What does that mean?

Why does politics have to be a part of his life?

9 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

HaTikvah, The Hope Subliminal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFcxYmbszCc

1. What is this song about?

2. The Israeli National Anthem is called “HaTikvah” or The Hope, do you

think Subliminal used that title on purpose? Why?

3. In the first stanza, what is Subliminal saying about war? What does he

think about it?

4. In line 31, he says “In a world of suicide attacks, the people are still

talking/living in an illusion of righteousness/they widen the rift in the

nation.” What does this mean? Who is he talking about

5. The chorus resembles a traditional serenity prayer as follows:

Grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the

courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the

difference.

How does this prayer apply to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? What

sort of things can they not change? What sort of things could they

change with strength?

How could this chorus apply to your own life?

6. Both Subliminal and DAM use the imagery of a tree (Subliminal in

lines 36-38) and DAM in Who‟s the Terrorist, lines 12-17. What do

they each say? Why do you think they use the tree imagery?

7. In the chorus, Subliminal sings “Come, let‟s continue, our life is in

front of us/it‟s not too late because tomorrow is a new day/the dream

will perish if we lose hope/so reach out to love.” What does that

mean? What is the dream that will perish if we lose hope? Hope for

what?

10 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Shirat HaSticker, The Sticker Song

HaDag Nachash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkyfdVyfqvE

1. This song is a collection of bumper stickers woven together in a song.

It was written by David Grossman, a famous Israeli author and poet.

What do you think of this as a form of writing rap/poetry?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of expressing political

thoughts through bumper stickers?

3. What do these bumper stickers say about the mindset and public

opinion of the Israeli people?

4. If you could make a bumper sticker for the Israelis, what would it say?

If you could make one for the Palestinians, what would it say? If you

could make one for Portland, what would it say?

5. Which sticker do you most agree with? Which sticker do you least

agree with?

6. Read the “shout out” in the last paragraph—that was not taken from

bumper stickers. What do you think it means? It ends by saying “It‟s

all your fault, friend.” Who do you think they‟re talking to?

7. The chorus says “how much evil can be swallowed.” What do you

think that means? Why do you think it‟s so prominently repeated

throughout the song?

11 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Medabrim Al Shalom, Talking about Peace

Muki

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIFo7-XnLnA (live)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtvkMClCc3U (audio)

1. What is this song about? What is Muki saying about the State of peace

in Israel?

2. Muki says that “everybody talks about peace/nobody talks about

justice.” What does that mean?

3. What is peace? What is justice? Do you think that different people can

have different definitions of those terms?

4. This song is very critical of Israeli politics and the progress towards

peace with the Palestinians. What does it say about Israeli society

that rappers can talk like this? Could Americans rap like this?

5. Line 42 says that “There are people who take ownership of God.”

What do you think that means?

6. The last stanza says that “Everyone has the same dream.” What do

you think that dream is?

7. The song ends by saying that “peace won‟t prevail without justice.”

What do you think that means?

12 Current Perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through Hip Hop

Shalom, Salaam, Peace

HaDag Nachash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HHTIrAx-0Y

1. What is the main message of this song?

2. Why do you think this song is sung in both Hebrew and in Arabic?

3. Why do you think the title of the song is in Hebrew, Arabic and in

English?

4. What can the Israelis do to bring about this peace they desire?

5. Are there similar Palestinian rap songs about peace? Why or why not?

6. In lines 38-40, they sing that “peace is peace is tranquility/peace is

fun.” What do you think peace is?

7. Do you agree that “Peace is needed—it‟s like air?”

8. HaDag Nachash sing in line 66 that “a land without peace is a land of

chaos.” Do you agree with that? Why or why not?

9. Do you think America is a peaceful country? Why or why not?