Interview with Moroccan rapper Bigg

30/05/2007

In an interview with Magharebia, Moroccan rapper Bigg talks about his musical roots and his opinions on the importance of Moroccan dialect and culture.

[File] Bigg feels that Moroccans should be proud of their dialect.

Rapper Hazeb Taoufik, more commonly known as Bigg, is becoming a household name in Morocco. Since his debut, his proud lyrics celebrating his identity have made him famous. He believes that his honesty is at the root of his success. Magharebia caught up with him recently as he prepared for the annual Mawazine Festival.

Magharebia: Bigg, your lyrics are blunt, you are provocative, you are critical and you tell the truth without disguising it. Is it easy to live this way?

Bigg: The truth is nothing but the truth and is not always welcome. But someone has to tell it. I come from a modest background. I talk about my wants and worries as if I were talking to another young person. I put all that into the scope of rap, that’s it. It’s truth first and then style, not the contrary. I have no problem with constructive criticism, which encourages serious deep reflection. All the same, I can’t be criticized just because I write and sing the truth.

Magharebia: What would you hope to change with this truth?

Bigg: I would like for there to be more confidence in Moroccan youth. I hope to say through my songs that these young people are well aware of the situation and that they lack the opportunity of chance. We must give them this chance instead of prejudging them. When we rap it doesn’t mean that we are removed from our culture. We are connected to it and are proud to be Moroccan. Instead of judging, they need to approach us, get to know us.

Magharebia: Why rap and not another style? Why not choose a typically Moroccan style to pass on these messages?

Bigg: Each person has their own way of expressing themselves. I chose rap, another person could very well choose rai or Malherbe. The important thing is staying true to yourself and to the message that you are transmitting. You’re not really going to reprimand me for choosing rap instead of another style!

Magharebia: Many people respect what you’re doing, particularly that you invite other rappers to work with you.

Bigg: It makes me very happy to see that my efforts are appreciated. I actually receive a lot of good feedback from my fans. That’s my greatest satisfaction. I have no problem with singing a duet with other singers. Completely the opposite. I have always been interested in the idea of integrating another voice into my album. I think that the more combined the ideas, voices and efforts, the stronger the message is and the more sincere it is. It’s easy to sing solo and to release an album with your name and all that. But I thought to involve more voices and young people in my album. After all, what I say or sing is definitely the opinion of many young singers whom I know who have a lot of potential. This collaboration was responsible for the charm and the force of my album "Mgharba htal mout" (Moroccans ‘till death).

Magharebia: You won the prize at the latest Maghreb Music Awards. How do you feel about this success?

Bigg: I am very happy about it, and I can say that frankness and sincerity are the values that pay off. My first album, which I talked about earlier, was voted best album of 2006 and, on the same occasion, I was voted best artist of the year. It’s actually very encouraging.

Magharebia: You seem strong in your support for darija (Moroccan dialect) and its use in song lyrics.

Bigg: Of course. We express ourselves best in our native language, even if we’ve perfectly mastered other languages. Using darija also puts an end to taboos. We have the habit of talking about a lot of things in French, but of reading them in classical Arabic. We should be proud of our dialect. While certain people think that our dialect is not good for expression, I think that it’s a question of habit and self-confidence. We should be proud of who we are and be ourselves.