Albawaba.com – Lud
Three Palestinian young men formed the troupe of Arab Rap “DAM-DA ARABIAN MICS’ to express the suffering of Arab youths in the City of Lud in Israel from the Israeli apartheid and oppression.
The troupe was formed in 1999 upon an initiative from Tamer al Naffar (22), the main singer in the troupe and his brother Suhail al Naffar (18) who were jointed by Mahmoud Jariri (19) later. The troupe is managed by Ayman Nahhas (25) who studied theater and acting in the University of Haifa and established Amigo Office for Art Production.
“The three young men who come from the Palestinian city of Lud inspired their songs from the environment they in. Although the black people in the US were the first people who started the rap as a scream against apartheid, it suits our suffering in this part of the world. The troupe members decided to express their revolt and scream so that everybody will hear their voice through music. The songs were in Arabic, English and French in order to make everybody hear our suffering,” Nahhas told Albawaba.com.
He added, “I organized an “Arab rap concert” in Haifa last November with the participation of DAM and MWR troupes. The concert was attended by 1200 spectators mostly between 13-25 years of age. The concert recorded a smash hit, which we still witness its effects up to this time. We are continuing with our shows these days in Arab schools and institutions and also during celebration days and feasts.”
The Arab Rap Troupe released its first song Min al Taa Ela al Alef (From T to A) less than a year ago through the local broadcasting services.
“These songs represent the identity card for Tamer al Naffar and the whole troupe as the audience got familiarized with the troupe and its objectives. The troupe has been witnessing demands by the audience particularly the youth. As for the song Erhabi (Terrorist), it tackles the word terrorist, which they use to dub any Arab fighter. The song reveals the occupation, which is the real terrorist. The song Arab al 48 (1948 Arabs) depicts the miseries of the Palestinian Arabs inside Israel while the song Ratatat depicts the noise of the machine gun which kills people and also the impacts of drugs and Israeli crimes. The song al Asasi (The Basic) criticizes some Arab youths who change their Arabic names to Hebrew names in order to win the hearts of Jewish girls.
The song Ehna Zhiqna (We Got Fed Up) is about the Israeli police and their racial discrimination against Arabs while the song DAM is a special song about the troupe members,” said Nashhas.
