(This piece was co-written with my friend Cheryl, an amazing polyglot California girl who is doing her dissertation on Maghrebian rap, among other things…)
FNAÏRE (or “lanterns”, in Moroccan darija or dialect), hailing from the former imperial city of Marrakech, seamlessly blend rap with the boisterous rhythms of Morocco’s musical patrimony including ‘Issaoui, Gnaoui, and Sahraoui styles. These Maghrebian beats really get the feet and shoulders (and let’s admit it, booty) moving, in our opinion, more so than the slower albeit more sensual Mashreqi rhythms.
The warmth and expressivity of the rapid-fire Moroccan dialect really mesh well with the rap form. In Fnaïre’s music, the marriage of traditional percussion to more synthetic bass-heavy beats evinces great chemistry, instead of the usual clash of dissonant sounds and cultures you hear on most “East meets West” lounge or electronica compilations that draw on Arabic music. Eastward-looking entrepreneurs like Jay-Z, Timbaland, Beyoncé have all contributed to the abundance of Arabic instrumental samples in today’s hip-hop. They seem to recognize the hip-swivelling potential hidden in ‘ouds, strings, and darboukas. To the point where the archetypal “belly dancer” or “Lebanese blonde” have now become fetishized items in booty rap videos! What progress ya nas! Rumor has it that when Timbaland gets into a cab, he asks the driver what he’s listening to these days, the older the tape the better, and then lifts that sample and makes millions of dollars!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WZwqDksujE]
Anyways, back to Fnaïre… the group is composed of two rappers (MC Achraf and MC Khalifa) and one singer (Tizaf Mouhssine). Fnaïre call their music “Rap Taqlidi” or Traditional Rap, because it draws on rich, musical Moroccan heritage and shys away from the materialistic trappings of the Big Pimpin’ Life. In their amazingly produced music video for “Yed El Henna (Hand of Henna)”, Fnaïre once again revisit their nationalistic sentiments, specifically on the subject of the Western Sahara. The opening begins with a Sahrawi woman singing acapella with images of pastoral life and tents with a very prominent and frankly incongruous portrait of King Muhammad VI, then come a group of people (including the rappers themselves!) waving Moroccan flags quite overtly re-enacting the Green March. In 1975 the Moroccan authorities at the behest of King Hassan II enjoined his followers to carry out that march, in a strategic bid to “reclaim” Western Sahara. Three hundred and fifty thousand Moroccans responded to the call, brandishing Moroccan flags, portraits of the king and signs proclaiming the inviolability of “Moroccan” Sahara (everything except the latter is replicated in the video itself). If there is one objectionable thing about Fnaïre, it’s their in-your-face nationalism which borders on the delusional (or the Rumsfeldian!) if they think, as this video appears to suggest, that an invading army of people would be welcomed with smiles and open arms! Some of the phrases on their Myspace page attest to this disconnect with reality: “It is hard not to recognize oneself in this patriotic feeling that takes hold of your guts wherever you might be in the world” (in French on the site). Really? It’s difficult to stomach this sort of nationalism, which isn’t expressly hegemonic in the sense of Western Imperialism, yet the voices and objections of the Sahrawi people are conspicuously absent here.
It is worth noting that occupied Sebta and Melillia, the two “Spanish enclaves” on Moroccan soil, do not elicit the same nationalist fervor . Certainly no one bothers to pen rap songs on the subject. Incidentally, you tend to wonder somewhat cheekily how the rappers might’ve manipulated the word “phosphates” into their rhymes… since that what makes the Western Sahara so valuable.
The rhythms are still sick though… kind of like how the most misogynistic, homophobic rap songs make the shorties’ (and DL brothas’) booties shake all the harder. Violence, be it in sexism, materialism, or nationalism always seems to make the beats that much more potent.
Make sure you check out Fnaïre’s Myspace page for an excellent Al Jazeera documentary about Moroccan rap, which had to be subtitled because the French-Amazigh-inflected dialect is unintelligible to the rest of their Arab “brethren”!
In short, the politics are all a bit much from the miniature Green March to the gratuitous portrait of King Mohamed VI featured prominently in the first part of the song (since it’s common knowledge that wherever Sahrawis pitch their tents, they invariably take along an oversized photo of the King). As disconcerting as this imagery is, we would be unwise to dismiss it as fluffy Moroccan nationalism, as there are far more serious implications. This video much like their previous video “Ma tqich bladi” (Don’t touch my country) must have been very pleasing to the Moroccan government. A correlation can be drawn to state-sponsored censorship of the same medium. Most recently in May 2007, a nationwide YouTube blackout took place after images came to light critical of the Moroccan government’s actions in the disputed Western Sahara. At the time the state-controlled service provider Maroc Télécom attributed the problem to a “technical glitch.” Curious that “glitches” like this, which effectively shut down YouTube for the entire country, seem to occur only when offending images sympathetic to the Polisario and the plight of the Sahrawi people are shown!
Despite whatever misgivings might exist about Fnaïre’s problematic political stance, this group deserves props for truly being pioneers in the Moroccan hip-hop scene. Fnaïre still represents the most talented and well-regarded Marrakchi rap group to date. Most importantly, they play a critical role in giving voice to the aspirations of a significant portion of urban youth in Morocco– even if these desires include the forcible incorporation of the Western Sahara into the Moroccan kingdom .
Finally, on a tragic note Fnaïre’s DJ, Hicham Belqas (Allah yre7mou), passed away June 15, 2008 in a terrible car accident in Fez following his group’s performance in the city’s renowned World Festival of Sacred Music. He was 25 years old. His loss shook the tightly-knit Moroccan scene and the annual festival L’Boulevard des jeunes musiciens honored him with a minute of silence this past summer.
Related posts:
- The Farce of Sahrawi Autonomy
- Another Unholy Alliance?
- Saudis Have Too Much Time On Their Hands
- Guest Post: Who Put the Hate In My Sunday Paper?
- Guest Post: Fellow Columbia Anthro Grad Student Weighs In On the Noose Incident
“”It’s difficult to stomach this sort of nationalism, which isn’t expressly hegemonic in the sense of Western Imperialism”"
Uh, it’s not? It sounds pretty fucking hegemonic to me. Smaller hegemon in a smaller pond, same shit.
Oh, and Maghrebian rap — great topic to develop a hobbyist’s interest in, *shitty idea for a dissertation*.
Then again, clinging to academia rather than accomplishing anything useful in the real world Is The New Black.
Master’s degrees, people! Get master’s degrees in useful fields! Study the liberal arts as a side hobby, there’s not enough meat there for a main course!
Posted by Joe | December 1, 2008, 10:10 pmThis music is disgusting. This is another sign of the degradation of traditional Arab music. The only good part about this video clip is the women singing a “mawwal” in the beginning with the Moroccan banjo for backup. The hip-hop that comes after is boring and offensive to the ears.
Real Moroccan music is better if perhaps harder for non-maghrebiyat to get. I personally have a love for good cha3bi el maghrebiyye. This crap has nothing on cha3bi.
Posted by Madame Mansour | December 1, 2008, 11:35 pmFor those not in the know, yalla:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CA9eCPbnqY
Posted by Madame Mansour | December 1, 2008, 11:40 pmI love Fnaire so much.
Posted by Will | December 2, 2008, 7:31 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 amDear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 8:06 am“”Dear Madame Mansour,
Why the hostile reaction to rap music? Is this a recycling of the culture wars in which rap music represents the encroachment of unwanted, “vulgar” amateurs on the spaces reserved for the musical elite? Why be conservative when it comes to music which is so enriched by evolution, mixing, and culture clash?”"
I like rap music. I was a director of hip-hop for my college radio. This is *shitty* rap music.
Hip-hop music *can* be enriched by those things you mentioned. This particular hip-hop? Not so much.
Posted by Joe | December 2, 2008, 4:39 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmhaterz
name one hip hop song this year that had you dancing as much
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 2, 2008, 7:40 pmDear Me7ammed and Joe,
I do also like rap and hip-hop. And cross cultural mixing can lead to a enriching of music, as Joe said. I don’t take offense to fusion when done well. However, such innovations can only be done with careful and thoughtful understanding of the genres you are combining.
This “music” is vulgar because it is superficial and lacking in actual “Moroccan” influences except for the fact that the music is in Moroccan dialect or the repeated banjo loop in the background. It’s what I’d call rap-lite with a side of pseudo Moroccan influences.
Khalas, aruf.
Posted by Madame Mansour | December 2, 2008, 8:30 pmAlso, just a side note, I’m sick to death of people writing about music who know nothing about hip-hop tossing around terms like “enriched by evolution” and “culture clash” like they’re playing Dave Chappelle’s ‘White African-American Studies Professor’. (The best distillation of this trite bullshit was when Chuck D had his head up his own ass far enough to describe hip-hop as “The CNN of the streets”… I nearly choked when I heard it)
It’s usually the same people whose idea of a talented rapper is Lil’ Wayne, natch.
Posted by Joe | December 2, 2008, 9:07 pmwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?to the other point, you can't expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou& | December 3, 2008, 1:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amwhere did you get your degree in hip-hop, the university of the streets I presume?
to the other point, you can’t expect the entire musical patrimony to be present in a rap song which only has room for two or three samples.
Posted by Mehammed "Abou" Mack | December 3, 2008, 5:40 amThis is way late, but I somehow missed the post before. It’s interesting that Fnaire doesn’t enjoy the same popularity in Morocco as H-Kayne or Bigg despite the fact that they all rap in darija (as opposed to say, Azed or a number of the other Francophone rappers). All I can conclude is that Moroccans in the hip hop scene would rather imitate American and French “gangsta” rap than accept something new and different like this (not all that different from the American hip hop scene I suppose).
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