Israeli/Palestinian Hip-Hop RR

Hey Everybody. :)

 Music is a mode of expression, and is therefore a microcosm of how people are feeling. It stands to reasons that it would change based on the major events that occur. Just look at how much more patriotic music became following 9/11. It's not surprising that music changed in Israel and Palestine after the second intifada. It's also not surprising that personal relationships were damaged during this time. A common phrase "If you want to keep your friends, don't talk about politics or religion" is brought to mine. But how can friends who are public figures who make their very living off of saying politically-charged things, not have it affect their relationship? It's as though their friendship was doomed from the start.

For me, one of the most interesting things  was how Israeli hip-hop artists adopted the thug-ish style of rappers in the United States, despite the fact that they come from completely different environments and generally have perspectives from the opposite ends of the spectrum. While rap in the United States is (typically) anti-authority and the rappers themselves are from marginalized populations, Israeli rap is quite pro-government and the rappers are usually middle class. I wonder why they adopted the style and look of African American rap on a superficial level. Is it because it's what the fans want? Does it just work with the style of music? Is it because there are no other role models? Perhaps, as stated in the Tablet article, this culture will start to change, because there is a previous generation of Israeli hop-hop artists to look too.

I guess Palestinian rap makes more sense to me. They too are part of a marginalized abused population, and, perhaps I'm being stereotypical, I can't help but think that rap is a response and reaction to oppression. I'm not saying that Israelis haven't been through more than their fair share of strife, but I can't help but think that it fits more with the Palestinian way of life. The men in DAM are  from one of the worst ghettos in Israel and they brought back the theme of protest to rap music. Maybe I'm biased (because I really like DAM's music), but the realities of Palestinian life matches up better with the themes of rap.

Then again, why should rap have a theme? Who decides what sort of content a type of music should cover? Is it a bastardization of rap or an innovation off of it? Your Mileage May Vary, I suppose.