Palestinian Youth Express Themselves Through Hip-Hop

A commemoration concert was recently held here at the Civic Center Plaza and it was free and open to the public.

Performers were male and female. They ranged in ethnic backgrounds from Palestinian and other Arab nationalities, to African American, Mexican and Caucasian. They had come from across the United States, Canada, the West Bank and Israel.



"This is a hip-hop festival for Palestine. Hip-hop is not dead; it lives in Palestine. It's about unification for our people," Patriarch, a Palestinian-American hip-hop artist asserted before the audience.

Event organizers say this was the first large-scale gathering of 3,500 or more people: Palestinians, other Arabs and nearly a third of non-Arabs, recognizing the Nakba through hip-hop.

The performances were in English and Arabic, with some performers using both languages. The music was energetic and its sounds reflected everything from the classic African-American hip-hop of the 1980's and 1990's to contemporary underground African-American hip-hop. Some artists incorporated classical Arab beats, music, and melodies into their routine.

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