Arabic Rap Mixtape Vol. 1: ammiya against the world

Like all great art, rap music in the Arabic language has been capturing snapshots of the human psyche. This genre has flourished alongside social media for the past decade. Few books have seriously addressed this amazing phenomenon that is changing the Arab/Middle Eastern world. I would like to stay in Beirut solely for the purpose of writing the history of Arabic rap, but I have a living to make in the U.S. As I aspire to become more creative musically, I also notice the development and nuanced influences of different music tracks without anyone pointing them out explicitly.

Maybe one day, I will even start writing about Arabic music in Arabic! Anyways, the spirit of my support for Arabic music stands strong even without the skills to write and comprehend every word. I started learning Arabic because of the expressiveness of the spoken word.

This effort was partly inspired by Spotify's algorithm / human monitor, which recommends me amazing Arabic music; and partly inspired by Shaab Jadeed's interview last week. I was a fan of their music since Youtube recommended me their new album. Lucky for me, the interview was in English. He said candidly that he raps for people on the streets and not "cultured" people.

Shabjdeed interview in ammiya filistiniyye with all the swear words in tow.

I saw this interview while I felt dejected about learning Arabic in school. My school uses a very bifurcated textbook that totally excises Arabic dialect (ammiya) after the 1st year. I am in my 2nd year of using their "system" and 3rd year since I started learning Arabic in Beirut. Ammiya and fusha are kind of similar to the id and the superego in the U.S. The ego, which is the culture and history I encounter every day, cannot fully synthesize and express both at the moment. People my age flirt in ammiya, but I would still need Google Translate, which only understands fusha, to understand most discussions.

The need to justify one's existence in a school or curriculum encourages textbooks to emphasize their formal history rather than the informal one. This interview's first ten minutes gave me the courage to continue studying the language. Then, in the middle, the rapper also starts giving an Arabic lesson. Which further demonstrated to me that the proper grasp of Arabic language and its expression is intertwined between ammiya and fusha. I also learned from Walid that the TV spokespersons on sports channels mix ammiya and fusha in their presentation. Thus, any dualistic understanding of a complex language cannot understand its depth. So rather than waiting for that one day when I am miraculously fluent in all accents I like (Khaleeji, Shami, and Iraqi), I will just start with baby steps such as compiling this mixtape of Arabic rap. The sad thing is that ego for fame or wanting to right sometimes come in the way of appreciating each other's works and progress. I have met so many haters of contemporary music--it is unjustified in my view. I, as an outsider, might contribute to this culture by way of compiling wonderful rap music.

So without further ado:

Arabic Rap Mixtape Vol. 1: ammiya against the world

1. Shabjdeed - NKD GLG (Prod. Al Nather) شب جديد - نكد چلچ
2. Double E - Fanne
3. Ismail Tamer - Unite to Rise
4. Kalash - Se2a bil Nafes
5. Basbous - Dama l neswen
6. Abou Layla Lzir (R.I.P.) - Ana L we2e3
7. Slow Moe - Gulo Meen فيديوكليب | قولومين

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