Shadia Mansour
Shadia Mansour شادية منصور | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Shadia Mansour, May 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | First Lady of Arabic Hip Hop |
| Born | 1985 (age 38–39) London, England |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website | http://www.myspace.com/shadiamusic/ |
Shadia Mansour (Arabic: شادية منصور Shādiyah Manṣūr, born 1985), also known as "the first lady of Arabic hip hop"[1] is a British-Palestinian[2] rapper who performs in Arabic and English. Much of her music revolves around Middle Eastern politics.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Mansour was born in London in 1985. Her parents are Christian Palestinians originally from Haifa and Nazareth.[3] She grew up in the UK and spent summers visiting relatives in Haifa and Nazareth, including her cousin, Juliano Mer-Khamis.[3] Influenced by other Arabic performers such as Fairouz, Umm Kulthum and Mohammed Abdel Wahab,[1][3] Mansour began singing at Palestinian protest rallies as a child and she became known in London's Palestinian community for performing classical Arab songs of protest at an early age.[4] She went on to study performing arts before launching her career as an MC.[3]
Career
[edit]Mansour began rapping in 2003 and has gained recognition in the Middle East, Europe and the United States for her own songs and collaborations with other artists. She performs wearing a traditional Palestinian thawb and has said that she considers herself to be part of a "musical intifada" against the occupation of Palestine, conservatism and oppression of women.[3] Mansour's first single, "Al Kufiya Arabiya" (The Kufiya is Arab), featured rapper M-1 of dead prez and lyrics emphasizing the kufiya's role as a symbol of Arab nationalism.[3][5][when?] The song was written when Mansour discovered an “Israeli” made blue-and-white colored Arab scarf with Stars of David on it. Mansour introduced her song on stage in New York: "You can take my falafel and hummus, but don’t fucking touch my keffiyeh".[3]
In 2007, Mansour called for Hamas and Fatah to stop fighting. In 2008, Mansour's track "Kulun 'Andun Dababat” (They All Have Tanks) included Tamer and Suhell Nafar from an Israel-based Palestinian hip-hop group DAM; Suhell's lyrics made clear that neither Fatah nor Hamas received his support.[3]
Mansour has recorded music with producer Johnny "Juice" Rosado, formerly of Public Enemy,[6] and was featured on Chuck D's website shemovement.com.[4][when?] She has also collaborated with artists like British Iraqi rapper Lowkey and Narcy.[3][6]
Mansour has toured with Existence is Resistance, an organization supporting hip-hop shows in Palestine, and is part of the "Arab League" of Hip Hop, a collection of performers who share views on the Middle East.[3][4][7]
In 2014, Mansour collaborated with Ana Tijoux on the song "Somos Sur" ("We are South") about the importance of the global resistance movement.[8]
In 2020, Mansour collaborated with Palestinian Jordanian electronic music and shamstep group 47Soul, as well as Fedzilla - a German-Chilean rapper and MC, on the song "Border Ctrl" about the shared experiences of border violence and colonialism in Palestinians and Latin Americans.
Political views
[edit]Mansour's political raps have criticized Israel's occupation of Palestine[3] as well as Israel's role in the Gaza War which began in 2008.[1] Mansour said, "My music sometimes sounds hostile. It's my anger coming out and it's resistance. It's non-violent resistance."[1] Mansour's early work emphatically supported the Palestinian resistance movement with what Rolling Stone called a "hardcore stance on Palestinian nationalism".[3]
Over time her views evolved to appreciate more of the complexity in the region, and her music came to reflect that; Monsour describes that she has become more “realistic” in her lyrics.[3]
While challenging Israel's policies, Mansour also takes a stand against gender stereotyping of women both in hip-hop culture and Palestinian society.[3] She has refused to perform to gender-separated audiences.[3] Mansour's music has been challenged by conservatives within Palestine, and Mansour has addressed that opposition to her music in her lyrics.[3]
Style
[edit]She initially tried to change her voice to sound more like male MCs, but over time Mansour has developed her own style as a female MC while rejecting the sexualization of women in hip-hop.[3] Mansour typically performs in a traditional Palestinian gown also known as a thobe, that covers most of her body, and notes that she is "kind of old fashioned."[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Donnison, Jon (7 September 2010). "British Palestinian rapper conducts a 'musical intifada'". BBC News Online. Retrieved 11 June 2024. See also "Palestinians, Israelis boogey ecstatically together in West Bank as 70s band belts out its nostalgic disco tunes at open-air concert". Ynet. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Khaled, Fadila (31 January 2022). "7 Arab Hip-Hop Artists Egyptians Should Pay More Attention To". Egyptian Streets. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Andersen, Janne Louise (4 September 2011). "The Passion, Politics and Power of Shadia Mansour". Rolling Stone Middle East. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ^ a b c Asen, Joshua (3 May 2010). "The Arab League of Hip Hop". Foreign Policy Magazine Online. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ^ Shadia Mansour Ft M1 (Dead Prez)-Al Kufiyyeh 3arabiyyeh (Official Video) on YouTube
- ^ a b Lee, Iara (27 July 2010). "Hip Hop as Global Resistance". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Coming Soon...official Arab League Records Website". www.arableaguerap.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Murray, Nick (10 June 2014). "Watch Ana Tijoux's 'Somos Sur' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
External links
[edit]- Shadia Mansour on Myspace
- Shadia Mansour on creative freedom in Britain on YouTube – UK Foreign Office short film
- Cultures of Resistance documentary excerpt featuring Shadia
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