READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

El-Haqed

Over the past few months, our friends at N.Y label Nomadic Wax have been reaching out to Arab hip hop artists around the world. They wanted to hear directly from them how hip hop was affecting the Arab uprisings and how the momentous events that were sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East were inspiring them to write music. The Nomadic Wax team, made up of DJ Magee, DJ Nio, and British journalist Rose Hackman bring you an original mix of in-depth reporting and authentic Arab and Arab-American sounds and perspectives, giving you the story behind the music – or rather the music behind the story.

Listen to the mixtape here

THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES explodes the stereotypes of swagger and bravado to reveal an irresistible unifying force of global significance. Lushly photographed, bursting with music and dance, this powerful documentary carries you away on a trans-national Hip-Hop Road Movie.

Startling and provocative, with an uplifting message of hope and reconciliation, it reveals how a single genre of music connects people as diverse as American Blacks, East German Skinheads, Israeli Jews, Palestinians, African Feminists and French Banlieusards. Alternately exuberant, moving and humorous, THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES is a stirring chronicle of the combustible intersection between politics and art.

The film features, among others:

Q-Tip, Dead Prez, The Last Poets, Special Ed, D-Nice, PMD (U.S), Les Nubians ,Bams, 113, 9 D’or (France), Positive Black Soul, Abass, Alif (West Africa), Metaphysics (Zimbabwe), Curse (Germany), Shaanan Streett, Sagol 59, System Ali, G-Town (Israel / Palestinian Authority)

The Furious Force Of Rhymes

The film will be broadcasted this week on ARTE. Check the the  official website or the Facebook page for festival screening dates, event details and more information.

THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES had its festival premiere in August 2010 at the Locarno International Film Festival. It is currently touring film festivals worldwide with official release dates yet to be announced.

Rugatka Club, T.A, March 25th 2010.

On Stage:

Tipota Naxaso

G-Town

Sagol 59

Crazy Dog

Saz

Rebel Sun

& DJ Meth-A-Morph

Part 1 Here

Part 2 Here

Part 3 Here

Part 4 Here

Festival Beshekel (The One Shekel Festival) is a non-profit organization established in the spring of 2001 by a group of musicians, artists and social-change activists. Festival Beshekel`s founders came about with the idea of the festival while they were working and performing all around Israel and became aware of the influence of socio-economic gaps in exposure to and expression of culture. At the same time, the founders wanted to combat the lack of multi-cultural awareness and openness in the Israeli society that unfortunately builds barriers between people and societies. The price of admission to all of our events is a symbolic one Israeli shekel (approximately 20 cents), which enables all sectors of Israeli society access to the richness of our local culture. 

Over the past 8 years the festival has established three to four outdoor festivals and production workshops a year (cultural leadership workshops). Each year, over 20,000 citizens of diverse social, economical and ethnic backgrounds attended those festivals.

This year, there will be  3 festivals: in Gilboa Regional Council, in the mixed city of Lod, and in the Katamonim neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Among the artists featured this year:

Hadag Nachash, Mooky, Achinoam Nini, Zehava Ben, Mira Awad, Sagol 59, D.A.M, Alma Zohar, Eifo Hayeled and many others.

Here’s “Word Wars”, a video article from The St. Petersburg Times in Tampa, one of the biggest newspapers in the Southeast of the U.S, featuring Palestinian and Israeli Mc’s: East Jerusalem’s G-Town, Gaza’s Lost Souls and Jerusalem’s Sagol 59.

 Click Here To Read

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Songs that provoke and persuade – a new collection in
Hebrew, Arabic, and English, released on CD by SHATIL, the NIF Empowerment and Training Center for Social Change Organizations in Israel.

To mark its 25th anniversary, Shatil is releasing a unique, multi-language CD collection of social protest/social change songs in featuring top-ranked Israeli artists.

Each song takes on a different aspect of Israeli’s current social situation and rouses listeners out of apathy. They protest the link between politics and big money; ambivalent attitudes toward new immigrants, migrant workers, and other “strangers;” indifference about environmental destruction; the rise of the consumer culture; the effects of occupation and war; women’s inequality, and more.

All the featured artists contributed their songs gratis to this collection. All proceeds from sales of the CD will go directly to the New Israel Fund for its support of Israel’s social change organizations.

Tracklist:

• Dan Toren Yahasit Beseder  (Relatively Okay)
• Mook E. Medabrim al Shalom (Talking about Peace)
• Devek Beshem HaDemocratia (In the Name of Democracy)
• Vulkan (feat. Chuck and Black Russian) The Aliyah
• BrinkX: Messer (Message)
• Albert Amar: Shakuf (Transparent)
• Chava Alberstein: Vera MeBucharest (Vera from Bucharest)
• Yankele Rotblit: Arba’im Shana (Forty Years)
• Sagol 59: Nikui Rosh (Mankush Remix) (Head Cleaning)
• Teapacks: Hora Nadlanim (Real Estate Hora)
• Ze’ev Tene: Hey, Buba (Hey, Babe)
• DAM: Kan Noldati (Born Here)
• Hadag Nachash: L’hithalek Ba’ir (Share the City)
• Adamai Ensemble: Absurd
• Amal Murkus: La Ahada Yalam (No One Knows)
• Aviv Geffen: Holech Kadima (Keep Walking)
• David Broza: Al Titnu Lahem Rovim (Don’t Give them Guns)
• Peter, Paul and Mary: If I Had a Hammer
• Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune

The album can be purchased here