From Bethlehem, tune into a live recording of some of the best MC and production talent Palestine has to offer—and a deep-felt cooling session, like a gentle stream.
This is definitely my radio pick of the week. There’s so much poetry and power in this music, even before you get to the meaning of the language. (Abul3ees was generous in explaining the meaning of his words and others, too, and it’s not at all easy to do simultaneous translation for friends, let alone something as nuanced as rap. I’ve got to work on my Arabic, I know.)
Bethlehem’s cultural center Wonder Cabinet, where I was in residence in May and the start of June, recently began a radio residency for NTS Radio. This is total freestyle, in case you can’t hear. Here it is in action:
Jerusalem-based artist Abul3ees you hear on the mic the most (advance the slide of the post above); he’s got this well of beautifully uninhibited improvisation. For just one glimpse of that, I feel this track especially deeply – from February:
Ramallah’s Julmud takes on a lot of the beats (though you’ll hear him jump in on the mic, too). Julmud’s productions just keep escalating in power. While the violence of Gaza makes it hard for anyone to even think about music, he’s continuing to say something urgent with his productions. He played some unreleased tracks with incredible instrumentals, too, in May while I watched in the AlHara booth – and that mix appears to be still unreleased, so you’ll have to take my word for it. But think intricate melodic programming as well as rhythmic, including precise, musically nuanced use of maqams (on a Dave Smith instrument with tuning support).
The mic gets passed around – there’s MC and producer Baraari. Check more of her work together with Julmud’s productions:
Shua joins, too – a renowned laser and light artist in Palestine. I caught a few moments of his impromptu laser jamming in the Crimesan Valley while we were there for an unannounced performance:
But you’ll find a lot more visual and laser art from Shua, aka Bashir Massad (see his Behance profile or this Instagram account for links):
It’s a beautiful show; I’m happy for this series to continue. And I’m eager for more Julmud, though if you haven’t grabbed it already, here’s a reminder to get in on this one:
Also, if you want “rap” and “Palestine,” there is so much more to play than just a Macklemore track. (Had to say it.) Seriously, if everyone listens to us with English all the time, we can handle some other languages, too. Keep them coming, especially when some of the major up-and-coming producers are using incredible languages like Palestinian Arabic (closely related to Lebanese Arabic, far more than just a dialect or slang vis a vis classical or modern standard Arabic, long story, see also: Aramaic).
We’ve got more from the AlHara recordings coming, so stand by.