SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi rappers sing against fighting in Syria as they struggle to get their message across in a country that is more accustomed to traditional sounds

Record ID: 189136

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi rappers sing against fighting in Syria as they struggle to get their message across in a country that is more accustomed to traditional sounds
  • Date: 12th March 2013
  • Summary: RAP CD'S CLOSE OF POSTER WITH ENGLISH WRITING(NEWYORK)
  • Embargoed: 27th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAADPJSK79113DSWNKUDS29C8V3
  • Story Text: This grimy bunker in Riyadh is a far cry from the glittering buildings of the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But the rappers who hang out here in this modest suburb of the Saudi capital have a great deal to say.
    Formed around 2010 the Saudi rap band ThUgZ uNIT want to change the world and rap about social problems in Saudi society, disability, poverty and unemployment.
    But they are also concerned about what is going on regionally and in the rest of the world and lead singer Hassan Asery is about to record his latest song about Syria.
    It begins with the haunting recording of a young Syrian girl's voice delivering a blustering verbal attack against Syrian president Bashar al Assad.

    "May God force him to flee and kill his children like he has killed ours and forced us to flee. May God punish you Bashar!" she cries.
    Asery says his song comes from the heart and that he wants to send a strong message.
    `It is something inconceivable when you see someone kills his people in such a way and destroys the mosques, I must sing about this , because we ,the rap singers We reflect the concerns of the community. I Mean it is something inconceivable he kills people in this way ,that is why I sing this song" Asery says.
    ThUgZ uNIT are made up of three rap singers from Riyadh.
    Asery says rap has a bad image in Saudi Arabia and that he wants to change that by singing about issues that matter to ordinary people.
    ``There are many issues to sing for. The most important of these issues is our singing about AIDS, disability and poverty. I can say that we are community singers. Our ambition is a production company to taken on our art, ``Arab Rap Art``, and for our voice to reach Saudi society first and Arab society second .Rap art is an art like just like any other art, and I can say it is even better than the other Arts," he says.
    These rappers say they have been heavily influenced by American rap stars like Tupac whose picture has pride of place in the dark and dingy recording studio.
    They spend a lot of their time listening to rap on their massive television screen and even dress like American rappers.
    But band member Fawaz says the flavour of their songs is pure Saudi.

    "At first we were listening to Western rap, especially the legend TUPAC. He speaks about community issues and negatives in his society, we took the same idea and we talk about our society's issues: poverty, famine and wars going on. We give and take advantage as young people and trying to perform the best," says another member of the band, Fawaz.
    Despite that Asery says the band does not have enough money nor support within Saudi Arabia to make a real dent in the rap market.
    So for now they perform in front of their friends in their modest yard and everybody joins in
    "For us rap is an expression of our problems, our reality and the problems we face in society as young people, we liked to express our problems through this art," says another band member.
    Saudi Arabia is not the only country that has issues with rappers but it may take ThUgZ uNIT a little longer for them to gain any kind of acceptance here. After all it only recently agreed to open a comedy club at the new King Fahad cultural centre in Riyadh.
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