Special Musical Digest: Rap and Spoken Word from Jerusalem
#0202_A_View_From_East_Jerusalem
Translation of lyrics of song ‘Hek Balasht’ [‘This is How I Started’] by Jerusalemite rapper Abu Baker:
“The idea began like this:
I was 13 years old
I began alone.
I did not choose music
It chose me
Little by little it took me away from school […]
I wanted to write but didn’t know what to write about
On my way home from school, soldiers stopped me
They asked for my ID,
I told them I was too young I didn’t have one
They scolded me and told me ‘fly!’
So I flew […]
I never gave up
Although my work showed no results at first
I held my head up,
Son of the Old City […]
What made me keep going with music was this:
I am for rap
And rap is for me
And because of this land
My voice rose up.”
– Ahmad Abu Baker FB page
[Selected Comments:]
– “I am so proud of ‘the son of the old city,’ my neighbor and my friend.”
– “I swear to God this is great! My respect goes out to you.”
– “There is no quality in your recording and your video could use some work.”
**
#0202_A_View_From_West_Jerusalem
[Spoken Word about Jerusalem and young artists in the city. Released by Beit Alliance [1] on their Facebook page.]
[Selected Comments:]
"Right as you enter the City gates, you can feel her,
Whispering in your ear, shaking your bones,
Jerusalem:
You have an old spirit […]
Prophets and poets were drawn to you,
Like butterflies to the light,
Walk through your streets with their eyes bright,
City!
How beautifully your spirit moves.
You were named 'the perfection of beauty,
A joy to all Earth.'[…]"
[Video in the first comment on this post]
– "Great Video!"
– "I was cynical at first, but this is great."
– "Wow, thank you for this wonderful video."
—-
0202 Editor's Notes:
[1] Beit Alliance is a cultural center for young artists in Jerusalem.
#Rap #Abu_Baker #Spoken_Word #Beit_Alliance #0202pov
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