RE-VOLT : October 2014

Published First on Arab News

I have always seen hip-hop as an educational tool, as a tool to elevate minds, as a form of expression, an art-form that liberates souls and a voice to the voiceless.

I was invited by one of the biggest universities in Europe, (Lund University) in Sweden, to speak about my journey in hip-hop, my involvement in Arab hip-hop and how I established “Laish Hip-Hop?” on Saudi wavelength and also to participate in a discussion about Music & Politics.
My excitement to be part of this was over the roof. I couldn’t wait to be there and share what I learned and what I’ve accomplished during the past five years.
Oct.6: I took off from Jeddah international airport heading to London to transit there for a couple of hours, then take the flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. Lund is 25 minutes away from Copenhagen by Metro. Lund is a city located in the southern part of Sweden, with a population of 95,000 people, out of which 50 percent are students.

I was invited by the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University. A gentleman by the name of Anders Ackfeldt organized this whole trip and was a very good host during my stay in Sweden. I reached Lund at around 8 p.m. local time and from the first moment I set foot there, I fell in love with the peace and the serene vibe of the city. I checked into my hotel and decided to get some rest since I have my first talk in front of the students the next day.

Oct. 7: Early morning, I woke up to a beautiful view, a cold breeze and a determination to do well at my first speaking event. I entered the room where I was supposed to give the “lecture” as they called it and was surprised by the good turn-out of students that made it. The students greeted me with utmost hospitality and open-mindedness. It made my task to dazzle them with music and intellectual content an enjoyable ride throughout my presentation. It was really liberating for me to tell my story in full detail and speak about the challenges I faced in my journey. I was also very keen to have a 2-way communication with the students. I finished off my presentation and I started receiving Q&A’s and I was really happy to get great engagement from the students. One question lead to other and because I am from Saudi Arabia and a Muslim, I get the question of “How can you be hip-hop and Muslim at the same time?” and my answer was simple… “I am a human first, a human that believes in good authentic art, art that will never misrepresent the image of Islam”. It was a great discussion, one that had couple of students come up to me telling me “Thank you for changing my perception about hip-hop and Saudi Arabia”. I was really glad to hear this since media always seems to misrepresent us Arabs.

During the course of the next two days, I was introduced to scholars, Ph.D. writers, teachers and artists. It was incredible to see that hip-hop is being studied. I found myself surrounded with like-minded individuals, ones that not only promote hip-hop culture but also are very interested in teaching and writing about it. The approval and attention of such esteemed scholars increases my credibility as a spokesperson for hip-hop culture in our region and internationally, as a dedicated blogger, a righteous journalist and a passionate radio host/MC. This panel of “judges” will only add to my future endeavors and will fuel my perseverance.

We had a closed hip-hop network meeting where I also did my presentation and it was great to get feedback from people who have done so much for the art-form, like hip-hop educator, artist Fabian Farbeon who is the founder of a concept called Re:Education and also the creator of Bronx-Berlin connection, an idea that sends artists from Bronx to Berlin and vice-versa to exchange their cultures and collaborate through hip-hop.

The connections that were made, the ideas that bounced around confirmed to me that what I was fighting for is worth it, that hip-hop is a universal language that can be used to bridge cultures and connect the human race through positive vibes and authenticity.
I had one more talk to give and that was in the Music & Politics conference. I felt proud introducing the artists that promoted social change through lyrics and music. I felt proud as an Arab to stand there and get applauded by teachers who reached out to me after and told me they would love to show my presentations to their classes.

I had the privilege of also appearing on one of Sweden’s best Urban Radio Stations, to discuss my journey, the reason why Lund was an important pit-stop at this stage and the opportunity Lund University has given me to speak up — a platform where I am heard.

This trip has changed me somehow; it has also asserted me to keep fighting for my beliefs, for hip-hop, for local artists in Saudi Arabia and the region. I am recharged and ready to break barriers and show that hip-hop is more than just a genre; it’s a culture, it’s a movement, it’s a path of life that I decided to follow and I would love to share the light to enlighten and erase the darkness that seems to be on our region, especially artistically.