Young Moroccans dance to hip hop beats

08/06/2007

Many Moroccan youths use hip hop and rap to express themselves and talk about issues that matter to them.

By Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca—08/06/07

[Imane Belhaj] Despite the abundant criticism they receive, hip hop groups continue to appeal to many young people.

Young Moroccans are captivated by a new genre of music-- a mix of East and West combining Arab, French and even English slang with hip hop and rap musical cultures. Although not unique to Morocco, this highly influential form of cultural expression, which often combines dance and athletic movements, requires special talent that many Moroccan youths have mastered with great enthusiasm and technique. In fact, they have reinvented it by giving it a Gnawan, Issawan, or Moroccan folk flavour, turning it into a local product.

Bigg or "Al-Khasir ("Loser"), as he is known in Morocco, is one of the young stars on Morocco's hip hop scene. He says that this new genre is a product of globalisation. On a recent television appearance, he responded to criticism of his lyrics, which some people consider to be vulgar and in poor taste. "I'm not asking anyone to listen to me. It’s people, young folks especially, who are the ones asking to listen to me," said Bigg. "Likewise I’m not forcing anyone to buy my tracks which can be found in the market, but I find that they're in great demand... I don't go to them, they come to me…"

Bigg is so popular that some politicians have asked him to perform at their rallies. He performed at a rally of the biggest political party in Morocco, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, which is part of the governing majority. Bigg has expressed his readiness to perform at any event, whoever the organisers are, so long as he does not change his lyrics, the way he performs them or his style of clothing.

Many rap and hip hop groups carry peculiar names such as Darga, Hoba Hoba Spirit, H-Kayne, K-Fash, Fnaire and others. They provide a welcome diversion for young people, and an opportunity for political parties to attract young voters.

A young fan of these groups, Farid Naji, does not mind who organises these events. "It doesn’t mean I go to hip hop nights just because I'm a fan of those who organise them," he told Magharebia. "It's an hour of entertainment with friends. We dance to crazy beats and it doesn’t matter to us who organises the event and their political affiliation...we know that there are objectives behind it, but we pay no attention to that so long as we can enjoy our favourite performer."

Naji and his friends never miss Le Boulevard des Jeunes Musiciens festival, and plan to attend it in June and dance until dawn. "This is our right, as we’ve never once criticised anyone else’s taste, and we won’t let anyone criticise ours so long as we’re not hurting anybody," said Naji.

The Boulevard festival is the largest of its kind and brings together young musicians in the city of Casablanca, not on the basis of fame or renown, but on the basis of creative ability and competition.

Nouamen Lahlou, a traditional Moroccan recording artist who sang the well-known song "Amana Aleik Ya Maghreb", explained that interest in hip hop and rap comes from the young generation's desire to express itself, just as previous generations have done. Lahlou said that during a concert he performed with Bigg, "one hundred percent of the audience who attended the concert came to see Bigg and not me".

Analysts think that young Moroccans, like other young people around the world, have been able to imitate this new culture with remarkable speed. Hip hop's roots are primarily American and in it, Moroccans find freedom of expression and values such as individual freedom, tolerance and peace.

Some feel that Le Boulevard initiative is a means to safeguard young people from negative influences.

Khalid Raoudi, 16, spends his free time with friends writing and arranging lyrics to rap and hip hop rhythms, hoping that some day they will become a group. For the time being, however, it is just a hobby. "We don’t want booming sermons with big words that are difficult to understand… Instead we want to call things by their real names, and talk about nationalism, unemployment, the high cost of living and emigration, in the simplest way which can reach our people, and music is simply a way to express and convey our message to the world that we are capable of giving and creating."

This new style of music is often criticised by the older generation of Moroccans.

Mohammed Nougia, a father of two boys with rap and hip hop fever, typifies his generation. "Actually, I’m slightly concerned about the music that my boys enjoy, as I find it loud and tasteless. I ask myself why they don’t have any artistic sensibility, and whether this preference will have an effect on their personalities in the future. But I soon find myself accepting the matter because this is their generation and the young musicians are the same age, so it won’t do any harm to give our blessing to this talent and creativity."

During a television talk show, musician Omar Essayed, a member of the popular Nass El Ghiwane group, mentioned that the group had faced similar criticisms when it first began. Those older than them did not approve of an alternative to peaceful classical music and they found fault with the kind of clothes and hairstyles they sported, but the young people of that era imitated and loved them.

Musician Hassan Megri admits that "these trends have a right to exist, since they are an expression of young people’s feelings and expectations, especially as this social grouping has no songs which it cares for." He also said "young people felt the need to find a style of music through which to say how and what they are, and to make their cries heard through songs they understand." However, Megri also stressed the importance of choosing appropriate song lyrics which fit into Moroccan culture which is known for its conservative traditions.

What redeems these rap and hip hop musicians in the eyes of their critics is their attachment to their Moroccan identity and their sense of patriotism. Take for instance Bigg, who sings "Moroccans until Death" in which he says "Whoever oppresses my country, we’ll oppress him, whoever wishes ill on it, ill upon him," meaning that Moroccans show affection to those who love them, but hold in contempt anyone who hates their country. The H-Kayne group rap song "We are all Moroccans," refers to the musical, ideological and political differences which divide citizens, who are nevertheless united through their Moroccan-ness. These groups also redeem themselves through their criticism of trends which are destructive to society and harmful to youth. Fnaire's famous song "Al-mshisha" condemns young people’s addiction to shisha pipes mixed with drugs.

Younis Samih, a member of the K-Fash group which derives its style from Nass El Ghiwane, sums it up best. "Our song lyrics are not degenerate but are responsible, because we want clean rap through which to express our perception of reality and the extent of our preoccupation with the our society's issues. It also conveys our rejection of terrorism which is the subject of the hour."