In America Hip Hop has come to be somewhat negative. When we think of rappers we think of bling, money, and women being objectified. Hip Hop in America was not always this way; it used to be a way for minorities to express their frustration towards the system they faced. Hip Hop is no longer just an American genre of music. Hip Hop has a very different meaning in different parts of the world. Morocco has a large Hip Hop scene. For Moroccans, Hip Hop represents freedom of speech and empowerment that their government does not allow them.
In the documentary I love Hip Hop in Morocco, many young artists explain why it is that they love Hip Hop so much. Brownfingaz believes that Hip Hop can be used to make Moroccan youth have more pride for their country. He is upset by how hard parents work to give their children a chance to leave Morocco. He wishes that instead of sending the kids to another country, that Morocco could become great enough that parents would be happy to have their kids staying. He was the only rapper who rapped in English because he believed that since rap started in English it should always be done in English. He used a lot of curse words, unlike the other rappers who believed it was disrespectful. Fati is the first Moroccan female rapper. She faced a lot of judgment from those around her, because they believed she should act like a good Muslim girl. At one point she is on stage and the whole audience is booing and yelling at her. She faces them with comedy and spunk, and eventually they end up cheering for her as she raps. Fati is a great example of a young women facing sexism, and rising above it. These two artists represent what Hip Hop in Morocco can do for its youth.
The biggest issue that Moroccans are faced with is the oppression that the king has over the people. The king is Muslim, and so is a large majority of the citizens of Morocco. All of the rappers in the documentary are also Muslim, and this causes a lot of internal conflicts for them. Muslim religion bans most music because it is believed to tempt the listeners. Hip Hop especially is associated with Western culture, which Muslims are strongly opposed to. They believe that the Western lifestyle is immoral and will lead them to hell. These artists struggle within themselves to feel like good Muslims and successful musicians. Many of them however would say that they have found a middle ground where they feel they are happy with themselves.
I Love Hip Hop in Morocco features three concerts which the American Embassy helped fund. Americans gave $10,000 to this cause. Most Americans would be very irritated by this. The point here is that yes, $10,000 is a lot, but it is much less than what we as Americans spend on other forms of our terrorism control. This concert helped fight terrorism because the biggest group there, H-Kayne, sang a song called “Hands Off My Country” which is aimed at Osama Bin Laden who bombed Casablanca because he believed that Moroccans had strayed from their Muslim roots. 36,000 Moroccan youth were exposed to this song. There is no better way to fight terrorism than this. Having people you look up to spreading the idea of free speech and empowerment through song is the best way to teach youth. Also, when Hip Hop is associated with America, which brings to mind free speech, and it is then connected to Hip Hop, it connects the sign, Hip Hop, to two objects, America and Morocco, which brings this country one step closer to having good associations with Americans.
The goal of the American people is to end terrorism. We usually rely on violence, such as bombing a city, or killing a known leader to end terrorism, which is known to be expensive in resources and lives. Why would we kill so many people, and spend so much money on all of this military action, when we know that three concerts, costing us $10,000 can reach 36,000 people? Hip Hop and other types of musical concerts, or anything like this, where youth is explaining to youth how great life can be without oppression and censorship will eventually end what we call terrorism.
No comments:
Post a Comment