Iraqi Rappers Voice Grievances and Hope

posted on: Apr 25, 2017

By Oumayma Omar
Middle East Online

Young Iraqis have come up with a number of cre­ative methods to address the violence, poverty and corruption afflicting their society. In addition to street art, paintings, situation comedies and theatre performances, rap songs, which have found a home on YouTube, are being used as a popu­lar way to address the violence and hardships of daily life, and as an outlet to express the youth’s hopes and grievances.

Ziad Nazem, 24, is among the new generation of Iraqi rappers taking part in this movement. On his You­Tube channel, Elements of Death, Nazem posts songs from his group that focus on the everyday condi­tions in Iraq and the Arab world. Two of Nazem’s most recent songs — “Just Like That”, which focuses on the victims of last year’s mas­sive explosion in Baghdad’s Karada neighbourhood in which more than 200 people died and “The Nerv­ous,” which highlights the perma­nent state of fear and stress afflict­ing Iraqis, have had a particularly strong effect on the public.

“The song about Karada had a deep effect on the public as it illus­trated the scope and the horror of the tragedy that befell on the city,” Nazem said, noting that it was well-received even among those who were not particularly fond of rap music.

“I know that rap music is not very much accepted in the conservative Iraqi society that prefers classical Arabic music over Western-inspired genres,” he said, “but I believe that the rejection is caused by the wrong replication of rap lyrics by certain groups who use offensive and dar­ing terminology, which are com­monly used by rappers in the US and other Western countries but raise eyebrows in our oriental soci­ety.”

Before 2003, rap was scarcely listened to in Iraq, and the rise of Iraqi rappers, who face sharp criti­cism for the content of their songs, is a fairly recent phenomenon. Iraqi rappers often sing about the young­er generation’s frustrations, which clashes with the message of popu­lar Iraqi tunes that often glorify the country and the army.

However, in his song “Baghdad,” 20-year-old Iraqi rapper Ali Hussein cast a message of hope for his city.

“I proposed something that is dif­ferent by focusing on the positive aspect of Baghdad, stressing that it is a lively city despite bad security which did not limit our ambitions and commitment to highlight its famous cultural and historical fea­tures,” Hussein said.

Hussein agrees with Nazem that rap music in Iraq has been smeared by “intruders,” harming its public perception.

“Nonetheless,” he added, “many Iraqis, including intellectuals and music lovers and experts, appreci­ate targeted rap songs that tackle is­sues of concern in a plausible man­ner, away from impudent and rude terminology.”

Elements of American culture such as rap music, hip-hop danc­ing, tattoos and piercings are large­ly seen as the effect of the US mili­tary’s more than 8-year presence in the country but are embraced by many young Iraqis, who can be seen dressed in hoodie sweatshirts, listening to 50 Cent or Eminem and spiking or shaving their hair in the style of the US Marines. To many fellow Iraqis, such habits are strange, if not downright offensive.

“The youth’s attraction to such genre of songs came as a result of Iraq’s openness to the outside world (after 2003) and the revolu­tion in information technology,” said Iraqi psychologist Naz Sindi. “The exacerbation of socioeconom­ic issues, such as unemployment, which created feelings of depres­sion and emptiness among young Iraqis, made rap even more appeal­ing.”

Sindi said: “Rap songs provided a breather and a means to express grievances and frustrations caused by recurring crises and wars in Iraq over the past years.”

The development is also a reflec­tion of Iraq’s cultural transforma­tion. In a society that lived under a dictatorship that deprived them of satellite TV, cell phones and the internet, Iraq’s post-Saddam era seems relatively open to the rest of the world.

“The youth, especially in poor areas where parents are of hum­ble origin and humble education, started to adopt aspects of Western culture because they think that by imitating their peers in the West and in certain Arab countries, they obtain a higher status in society,” she added.

Nazem, though, was introduced to rap culture before 2003. He start­ed listening to and composing his own rap music while growing up in the United Arab Emirates, where his father was employed. He re­turned to Iraq in 2008.

“I have always been a fan of Western music, especially that of the ‘70s and ‘80s. My passion for rap is mainly due to my passion for Western genres,” he said.

Musician Ali Khassaf “blames” the cultural vacuum and weak­ness of cultural institutions in Iraq for the “intrusion” of rap and other Western genres in Iraqi society.

“The gap caused by the dete­rioration of Iraq’s musical herit­age prompted the youth to look for alternatives on the expense of popular culture,” he said. “Also, the internet, social media and satellite television channels contributed to their exposure to new musical gen­res which reflected their concerns, worries and aspirations.”