This is an interview that we did with a member of the group PR (Palestinian Rapperz). They were featured in the documentary Slingshot Hip Hop, which screened at Sundance 2008 and has won numerous awards. He came to visit the Viva Palestina convoy while we were in Cairo. Khury conducted the interview, Wadad--one of the VP-US organizers translated Kan3an's responses from Arabic into English, and Ream Kidane recorded and transcribed the interview. It was first posted on The Sitch.
Khury Petersen Smith: We are with here in Cairo with Kan3an, member of the group PR (Palestinian Rapperz) from Gaza city, he is also known as Mahmoud Fayyed. You may know them from the documentary Slingshot Hip Hop. Can you tell us what it has bee like in Gaza since the war and since the blockade?
Mahmoud Fayyad: Things have been extremely hard. They are rationing everything. Everything is sanctioned, blockaded. We make do with the most basic supplies. There is a lack of electricity, lack of food, lack of gas, lack of work. We just go day by day, trying to make the most of it. We hope, every day, that that the blockade would just disappear. …..The Israelis would often come close to the border and shoot.
KPS: How did you get to Egypt?
MF: My mother is Egyptian, so I was able to get an Egyptian visa, but the others, they have nothing but a Palestinian ID card.
KPS: When did you come to Egypt?
MF: 2008
KPS: How did you get into hip hop?
MF: We were inspired by DAM, who was also featured in the documentary. One thing to explain is that the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are called the ‘67 Arabs” They were stuck there when the walls were newly built. The Palestinians from cities like Haifa, Lyd, etc. are called the ‘48 Arabs. We were separated, so we could never actually meet them. In 2003, DAM inspired us to talk about our struggle. We never thought there was a market for Arabic hip hop, but they gave us that push. When we heard that song “Meen Erhabe - Who’s the Terrorist?“, it inspired us. It’s like, who’s the terrorist when you are living in my country?
KPS: Can you tell us something more about the Palestinian hip hop movement? Is it growing?
MF: DAM is the group that opened the door for everyone. Their have been other groups from the ‘48 cities, but we are the first from Gaza. Jackie Salloum, the director of Slingshot opened the door for them with screenings and shows all over the country. PR Rappers is the only group that has not been able to attend the screenings. It is important to watch (Slingshot) because you realize that we are normal every day people, but you also see the struggle. It is very difficult to record, you can’t just get together to record a track.
KPS: Can you tell us what it has been like to record amidst the blockade, with two members in Gaza, you in Egypt, another in Texas?
MF: Twitter, Facebook, MSN. The biggest obstacle is that takes a long time time to record one track. Most groups can be in the same studio, but for us it could take months. We are working on an album now.
KPS: Are you big in Gaza? Are you on the radio? Is there Palestinian hip hop on the radio?
MF: We are very well known in Gaza. We are all over the radio. Sometimes a friend will call me and say 'your song is on the radio!' And he'll put the phone next to the radio so I can hear.
KPS: What does it mean for you to be in Cairo while your family is and friends are in Gaza, do you want to go back?
MF: It has been really hard, especially since Ayman's father was killed 24 days past. He was like a father to all of us. It hasn’t really hit me. When you are not there, it is really hard to comprehend. They won’t let me back in, and if they did, I wouldn’t let me get back out. The hip hop we do, I want people to know what it’s like to live in such fucked up circumstances. The Palestinians are living in a unique situation. There are many different sides to it. One of the issues is that there are Palestinians walking around with Jordanian passports because they are not allowed a Israeli passport. There are Palestinians with Israeli passports that are stuck in ‘48 Palestine. People outside identify me (Waded) as Israeli, even though I live in Palestine. We need our nationality back. We need our identity back. This is one of the messages we are trying to get through. We hope the world will listen.
KPS: You are trying to get your identity back through your music, trying to assert your right to determine your own destiny. I think that is incredible.
MF: Thank you very much.
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