The necessity of El Deeb

  In my opinion, the most important thing that's happened to hip-hop in the past decade is the birth of the Arab Spring. The organic spirit of protest that erupted from Libya to Egypt was the most fertile and natural place for the youth to do what they did: adopt hip-hop as the soundtrack to the revolution. Hip-hop has always been the music of protest, enabling a platform for the voiceless to speak out. American black culture birthed and cultivated hip hop, and through it were able to talk about the oppressive forces of racism, poverty, and violence that they encountered on an everyday basis. However, while the conditions of the black ghettos are certainly "a struggle," it was always a struggle predicated on survival, rather than a political or social movement. Most rappers describe victory over any kind of oppression in personal financial terms, rather than revolutionary terms, which limited the appeal of hip-hop to a specific minority.
    Enter the Arab Spring. With the outbreak of protests across the Middle East in response to tyrannical regimes like Gadaffi and Mubarak, rappers like El General in Libya and El Deeb in Egypt were articulating their message in solidarity with the Arab Spring. It is this adjoining style of rapping that could (forgive the pun) revolutionize hip-hop. American rappers, while often talking about the horrible standard of living often thrust upon them, have unconsciously agreed to the premise of individuality and separate-ness from other rappers. The goal of the American rapper is to tell his story, trials, and tribulations while at the same time showing off his lyrical prowess. The innate nature of American hip-hop is competitive, to prove that you are the best at what you do. Middle-Eastern hip-hop does not consent to this premise.
    While there may be a spirit of competition alive within Egyptian and Libyan hip-hop, it's not the driving spirit. I think a sufficient pattern has emerged in hip-hop to show that the music is always born out of struggle. While American hip-hop was born out of the struggle of the black ghetto, Middle-Eastern hip-hop was birthed from the political struggles of the Arab Spring. As a result, rappers so far have aligned themselves as the voice of the movement, and not themselves. There is a distinct feeling that rappers like Mohammad El Deeb are rapping about something more than just themselves (this isn't to discredit American hip-hop, it has it's own strengths). Lyrics like "my people need medicine/everyone's in the air together/but the air isn't ours" exemplify the underlying theme of solidarity with the oppressed that rappers like El Deeb place emphasis on.

    Why is this important? A few reasons. First, it allows hip-hop to do what it was always made to do: be part of a revolution. Revolutionary rappers like Chuck D always hoped that hip-hop could impact the society in which it lived. While hip-hop did not cause the Arab Spring, it provided a space in which it could function best. Politically engaged hip-hop heads should be looking with interest at the Middle-East to see how far hip-hop can really affect change and justice in a society that desperately needs it. Another point is that it allows hip-hop to start again, in a sense. Trap music has dominated the American airwaves to the chagrin of most fans of hip-hop. While the beats and lyrics aren't as sophisticated as American hip-hop, Middle Eastern hip-hop has a rawness to it that many of us have been craving.
    The Arab Spring has been derided by many who say that the protests have allowed Muslim fundamentalists unfettered governmental power. Today it was reported that a shooting occurred at a protest in Cairo that was protesting the Salafi regime. Another round of revolution may be at hand in Egypt, and all signs show that the presence of hip-hop will be present as well; only time will tell us the significance of rappers like El Deeb.