The first Arabic words that reached my ears after I returned to the states was not a result of any studying on my part, but the fact I was listening to a Top 40 Hip Hop station while driving. Busta Rhymes’ “Arab Money,” at least in the remix version, has a bismillah ar-rahman ar-raheen as a significant part of it’s chorus, which translates into “In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful,” and is something called the fatiha, which is spoken before each chapter in the Qur’an. And while it’s normal to hear the entire Qur’an recited on cassette tapes in taxis, homes, or tram stops in the Middle East, hearing it out of my Suburu speakers in southern California would have made me fall out of my seat if I wasn’t strapped in.
It’s an interesting song, with the Arabic hook and the actual subject matter. I can’t tell whether I like it, or whether it’s embarrassing for everyone involved. On one hand, it’s kind of cool see the dream of glittery Gulf culture making it’s way onto the American rap scene. On the other, it does make you wonder how it affects the causes of the rest of the Arabs who don’t have a lot of money. Say, the ones living in the Gaza Strip. Especially this past months.
I don’t know, it seems in a lot of ways Busta has brought up that classic Middle Eastern Studies 101 question of what exactly constitutes the Middle East, or the term “Arab.” A lot of very different regions fall under the umbrella of that term, each with different problems and different assets, and there’s a lot of tension between the haves and have-nots, or more often, the countries deemed “moderate” or “friendly” by the US (Saudi, Egyt, Jordan, and the Fatah party) and all the others. Marc Lynch has some great posts about this.
Anyway, Bay Area Iranian rapper, Revolution of the Mind, has taken up the issue and made his own version of the song in response to Busta’s about the Gaza crisis. The image’s not very good quality, but he’s a really brilliant guy and makes some great points about tensions within the Arab world (or, “Arab” world) and how they are perceived in the states. He did some work for the first “Loose Change” soundtrack, but it’ll be interesting to see what he comes up with next.
Note: This version of Busta Rhymes’ “Arab Money” is a fully produced video, but does not include the “bismillah” bit, and is total gibberish, as best I can tell. To hear the “bismillah” remix, go here.
