Q&A with Syrian/American Artist Mona Haydar

Mona Haydar

Had a quick Q&A with Syrian/American Artist/Activist/rapper Mona Haydar who just released her EP entitled "Barbarican". In 2017, she release her song "Hijabi" which was named as one of the top protest songs according to Billboard. 

Big HasS: How did your bond with Hip-Hop surface in your life?

Mona Haydar: I was in Syria this one summer with my older sister and we were staying with our grandmother. It was back in the cd-player days and my sister had brought a few cds with her and one of them was Mos Def's Black on Both sides. I just remember being so shook by that album and feeling so connected to it and him through that music. In some ways, I even ended up doing my Masters graduate work as a result of that album too. 

BH: The conflict of being from both worlds: how do you balance the scale?

MH: I'm Barbarican. Not totally this and not totally that and yet I am whole and good because this is how God made me and where God put me. Just have to trust in the Divine plan and keep it moving. Barbarican is about balancing-- loving all the parts of myself and learning to heal the colonial wounds within me so that I can emerge fully realized in the path of my ancestors.

BH: Some argue that feminism is borderline unacceptable in Islam, what are your thoughts on that statement and how do you encourage women to break out from the shells and voice out their rights?

MH: Feminism is the sunnah. Muhammad, Alayhisalaam (PBUH), was a feminist. He abolished patriarchal practices and advocated for women's rights. Muslims love them some Jahiliyyah though. It's so sad. Women are the strongest creatures in the world. I admire and love women so much. We create humans inside of our bodies from nothing and then birth them into existence. God gave women the ability to physically witness creation. Women need to own their power as beings in society whether or not men are willing to recognize.

BH: Barbarican, starting from the title, we are already drawn into an explicit attack towards social norms. Do you think that its crucial nowadays to say things unapologetically and more bluntly - and skip diplomacy? 

MH: I believe in eloquence- beauty- elegance but I also believe in reality and truth telling. There is a balance that can be struck where you tell the truth in such a way that it doesn't break anything-- even when it is a difficult truth. I use humor in the EP- I use rhythm and rhyme- I use melodies and harmonies- I use fun hooks and catchy grooves to bring people in gently to some of the difficult truths I'm trying to share. 

BH: Who are women leaders who inspire you?

MH: I'm inspired by women and men alike. I'm inspired by amazing trees and bears and lions too. Do you often ask male rappers about which males they look up to? Just curious?

My answer is "Yes, I do." 

BH: In what way has motherhood strengthened your convictions and pursuit for a more just and human world? 

MH: Motherhood is cool and really hard. I love my kids and I want the best world possible for them and so I'm going to do everything in my power to try and make that better world a reality. 

BH:Tell us about the collaboration with Offendum ?

MH: I've known Omar a long time and really love his artistry. We've shared stages before and it's always good vibes. I hit him up and shared the hook I'd written to 'Miss Me.' He loved it and wanted to feature on the song. I was recording with my producers JB and Corron in LA and he came to the studio and laid down his verse. It was super fun. I hope we get to do a video. 

BH: Would you be interested to visit Dubai, UAE for a speaking/performance opportunity?

MH: Of course! I hope to be able to bring the music to a worldwide audience on a tour inshaAllah. In the process of figuring all that out right now. 

BH: Any last words for Re-Volt Readers

MH: Go stream the EP! <3 a="" nbsp="">

x

Iraqi-Dubai based Singer/Songwriter Shébani drops #Scylla and its simply DOPE!

Shébani - Scylla (Prod by Rayan"

DUBAI,UAE


If you've been following me, then you definitley heard the name "Shébani" before. This amazing Dubai based singer/songwriter just a dropped a new single entitled "Scylla" produced by "Rayan" and its simply catchy, radio friendly, dope and hip.

What I personally love about the song is the fact that Shébani was able to get out of her comfort zone and she did that with ease and proved that an artist can always try new things and succeed in it. She's a natural man..Big credit goes to her producer "Rayan" who has been a huge catalyst for artists not only producing songs for them but also making them realize why they do music in the first place which is a very important thing to know as an artist.

Shébani performing at Boom Room (Pic by Waleed Shah)

I do believe that Shébani is a very important artist to support and push from this region. Not only is she humble and talented but she's also a voice for so many and I 100% believe that lots of people relate to her and her vibe which is somehow empowering as well. I believe a lot of people will connect with this track and vibe to it. So Share this. Spread the word. Improve your ear-drums ;)

It's now 9:25 AM Dubai time, song dropped on music streaming service "Anghami - Link below" .

** UPDATE**  25th Oct --- The Music video of the track was just released & its directed by the beast "Freek TV" who proved once again that he's a visionary at what he does. S/O to his better half "Dj Liutik" who always been supportive and as a Dj, she's been playing records for local artists at her events which is really cool.

Shébani & Rayan (@Boom Room) Proud of those two.. Keep Rockin
Pic by Omar Tartoob 

Below is a quick description of the song.. enjoy it. share it. support it.


Description: The name “Scylla” has a historical context and backstory. It is derived from ancient Greek mythology dating back to the name of a sea princess driven mad by an opposing sea-king she fell in love with. The song is an expression of being driven crazy by a particular person or feeling helplessly lost in a situation. The song is not tailored to solely categorize a sense of crazed love, but to liberate us from the feeling of overcoming it.

Lebanese Rapper N1yah Drops a Video for "Die Alone"

Lebanese-Dubai based rapper N1yah dropped a video for her track "Die Alone" & I for one wants to support her. We don't have many female MC's in the region and we really need to start pushing our sisters out there to get on the mic and start representing..

"We're born alone, we die alone and I want to people to let go the negative incidents that happened to them and live the moment" N1yah says abot the track

I will be interviewing N1yah this week and will hopefully post the video interview on my Youtube page, till then go show love!

** Put in mind that this whole video was shot by an iPhone 7 !! Shout out to SG 

Q&A with Amal Murad | A Pioneer in the UAE Parkour Scene

On August 11th,2017, I was honored to host TEDx Fujairah. I was truly inspired by the speakers I met that day and also by the amazing team efforts from he organizers. There was some inspiring speakers and some incredible entertainment that took place. One of those speakers was "Amal Murad". My first impression of Amal was that shes very energetic, passionate. Amal is a pioneer as she is the first Emirati female parkour instructor. 

Below is a quick Q&A with Amal about how she started and what does parkour mean to her. Check it out & also at the end of the interview, check out the link of her TEDx Talk..


Q: How did you get into Parkour. Was it a specific video you saw, a friend? tell us. 
Amal Murad: Since childhood, I used to play video games like 'tomb raider' where the woman lead character would be doing all kinds of cool stunts. Being the daredevil myself as a child who had climbed over to the neighbors' houses and found a path to avoid getting caught by the dogs, I've always felt that I had that side of me. However, I didn't understand what "that side" really was until I could give it a name almost 20 years later. It was when Xdubai started sponsoring two parkour athletes. That is when I was introduced to the sport and had finally started appreciating what possibilities there were. 

Q. You've always said that parkour somehow "Liberated you" - Can you expand more on that? What were liberated from? 
AM: I've always considered sports as a way to release pent up negative energy. Not only is it scientifically proven that exercise gives out endorphins, but to me its more about the way you feel after a dedicated workout. Parkour especially allows you to express yourself through movement. It isn't about jumping over buildings but more about what you find yourself capable of doing when you set your mind on something. 

Bar, we finally meet again! 😭 I'll be announcing something exciting soon so keep an eye out these couple of days ❤️ @gravitydxb

A post shared by Amal (@leap.of.hope) on Aug 14, 2017 at 8:03am PDT

Q. Parkour for you is a way of life. What is/are the main misconceptions if any about this sport? 
AM: I have heard that parkour isn't considered a "real" sport and that it doesn't do much for the body. People tend to underestimate just how much endurance, cardio, strength and explosiveness is required in parkour. We use legs for jumping and balancing, arms for climbing and hanging; truth be told, its a full body workout but the best part is that you don't feel it is. 

Q. You were part of an incredible campaign by "Nike". Tell us about that opportunity. How did it happen? & what is the message that they were trying to convey? 
AM: It was such an exciting opportunity because Nike approached us and wanted to know the struggles we faced as Muslim Arab women in sports. When we initially spoke to them, it was on a very superficial level where we discussed attire and that we had to wear more layers but the dialogue got much more personal. We then went to discuss the reason why we were afraid to even practicing a sport. Almost all of us said that we were afraid of what people would say about us. That is the mental wall we all have and continue to face on daily basis and only we are the ones who are capable of overcoming that wall. 

Q.  How important is the support you been getting from your family? 
AM: I can't stress enough on how important it is to get support from the people you love especially your family. It truly makes all the difference. I am never an advocate to go against your family to do something but more of trying to prove to them over time that you truly are passionate about something.

Q: At any point during your journey. Did you feel like giving up & if so, what did you do to overcome this? 
AM: Yes, when I broke both bones in my forearm. It truly broke my spirit because I felt like that was the end of the road for me. However, that is when your true strength is tested. I feel like it was a good time to reflect on what I have accomplished and whether or not I had the faith to continue. It's about remembering that everything happens for a reason and you have to trust the process. 

Q. What's your dream with Parkour? 
AM: My dream is to encourage more women to try new things in life and to not be afraid of diving into something they love.

Q. You were one of the speakers at TEDX Fujairah. Tell us about the experience of being on a Tedx Stage? & how did the crowd react to your talk?
AM:The experience was overwhelming in the best kind of way. I never expected the crowd to cheer as much as they did. It truly showed me that there are so many people out there going through the same things I am and that we're all in this together in trying to figure out what our purposes are. 

Q. Any last messages/shout outs.. go ahead. 
AM: Shoutout to Big Hass who was the MC during tedxfujairah. He truly is one of the most uplifting people I have come across in a long time. I remember how he hyped me up before my speech when I was nervous and I couldn't be more grateful.


**Watch Amal Murad's Tedx Fujairah HERE

Saudi Singer TamTam Releases Video entitled "Hollywood No"

Ever since I heard TamTam sing, I fell in love with her passion and simplicity. She just released a video for her track "Hollywood No", a powerful message to the industry and more importantly to indie artists out there..

When I asked TamTam "Why did you write this song?" Her answer was  
"I really wanted to make this music video as a DIY (do it yourself) because the music industry can be really tough, especially when you're an independent artist, and I want to show and inspire other independent musicians that you can do a cool music video on your IPhone! you don't need to pay a whole production team and director...etc. I hope this song and video will inspire people and encourage them to keep going no matter how many hollywood no's they receive 😉"

Watch the video and leave your feedback