(CelebrityAccess) — A pair of hip-hop acts from Palestine’s burgeoning music scene are preparing to make their U.S. debuts via releases on Cooking Vinyl.
The two groups — Arab electronic hip-hop supergroup 47SOUL, which includes artists from Palestine and Jordan, and DAM, the influential Palestinian hip-hop group, have been a the forefront of the Palestinian music scene, which has increasingly come into focus for western tastemakers.
47SOUL are preparing to release their full-length debut Balfron Promise. The group made a name for themselves by creating the Shamstep sound, which fuses hip-hop and pop lyrics in English and Arabic with electronic music and elements of Arab roots music. The YouTube music video for their debut single Intro to Shamstep has generated more than 6 million views and the group has generated an international following with gigs abroad, including Womex, Glastonbury, and WOMAD.
DAM – the first-ever Palestinian hip-hop group and influential force in the regional genre with their fusion of urban R&B with Arab rhythms, are preparing to release their first English language rack with a cover of the hymn “Jerusalem.”
While the groups look to western audiences, they do not shy away from a political message.
“If you drive us to colonize it, I will not put on my seat-belt and sit in silence’, DAM’s Tamer Nafar said; ‘Trump’s decision to establish Israeli colonialism in the Middle East and ban the Palestinian right of existence clarifies beyond words that we cannot put on our seat belt and sit in silence.”
“‘When we mention the word terror, the first image is often Muslims, Arabs, anything from the Middle East, no one thinks of the global political terror. We choose to deliver William Blake’s words because it is still an audible symbol of hope and unity and a strong message to add to the current state of affairs and as a reminder that Jerusalem, ‘the holy land’, is not the peaceful place it was once portrayed. Adding chords to it and violins doesn’t make it less violent we still need to pull together to strive for a peaceful resolution.’ DAM – is the first ever Palestinian Hip-Hop group and one of the most influential exponents of the genre in the Middle East,” Tamar added.
