Palestinian hip hop originated in the late 1990s with Tamer Nafar, Suhell Nafar and Mahmood Jrere starting their rap crew DAM which means 'ever lasting'. Based in Lyd, Israel, Tamer and his crew witnessed the discrimination and racism aimed at the Arabic community.
Inspired by the likes of Tupac Shakur, The Notorious BIG and others, DAM deals with hard hitting lyrics fused with sounds and rhythms from the East and West. They primarily sing in Arabic, English and Hebrew.
In Min Irhabi (Who's a Terrorist?) sung in Arabic, the lines translate to:
Who's a terrorist?
I'm a terrorist?!
How am I a terrorist when you've taken my land?
[...]
You've taken everything I own
While I'm living in my homeland
The lyrics evoke a strong sense of anger and dissatisfaction. The politically charged words are a jab at the people in power and also at the concept of branding Arabs and Muslims as terrorists.
You attack me and then you cry
And then you rush to complain about me [to the world]
[...]
You must have forgotten you buried our parents
Under the rubble of our homes
Displacement from one's home leaves a strong sense of empathy in the listener, showing how close to the heart the lyrics and feeling for home is. Palestinian hip hop is not confined to Palestine and Israel alone. Artists such as Iron Sheik, Shadia Mansour and Excentrik among others produce and perform across the world.
This genre of music not only voices the trauma and discrimination experienced by Arabs in Palestine and Israel but also obliterates the prejudices attached to the Arab people.