Rappers Win At First Arabian Music Awards

An Egyptian rap star said that Hip-Hop is becoming increasingly popular among youth in oppressive environments. In a Reuters report, Egyptian rapper Takki of MTM said "There are a lot of people doing Arab rap who didn’t feel before that they had much of a chance. " The article stated that youth in Arab countries […]

An Egyptian rap star said that Hip-Hop is becoming

increasingly popular among youth in oppressive environments.

In a Reuters report, Egyptian rapper Takki of

MTM said "There are a lot of people doing Arab rap who didn’t feel before

that they had much of a chance. "

The article stated that youth in Arab countries

are bound by strict conventional methods. A United Nation’s Arab Human Development

Report noted that age discrimination was one of several problems in the Arab

world.

Takki and MTM won best modern Arabic act at the

first Arabian Music Awards in Dubai.

"The best thing about rap is that it is

a form of music that criticizes, so it discusses the issues of young people,"

Takki said at the Awards. "It’s really close to young people because it

speaks their language and it speaks about their real-life problems and social

life from their point of view. We really needed this in the Arab world."

The music is so new in the Arab world, performers

have thus far avoided strong language and curse words. In the past, fans of

heavey metal were arrested and accused of "devil worshipping."

MTM’s#### "Ummi Musafra" which translates

to "My Mother’s Away" was about a teenager who has a party when his

mother goes out of town, only to be surprised when she returns early and crashes

the party.