Music
Mic Check
- 7:30PM
Hip-Hop from North Africa and the Middle East
Produced by BAM
From the recent revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East, rappers have emerged as torchbearers of the movement’s progressive energy and restless defiant spirit. For Mic Check: Hip-Hop from North Africa and the Middle East, BAM brings together a host of these intrepid anthem writers—Amkoullel (Mali), Deeb (Egypt), El Général (Tunisia), Shadia Mansour (Palestine/UK)—alongside more traditional musicians Brahim Fribgane and Yacouba for an evening of contemporary music born from radical social and political change.
Featured Artists:
Amkoullel
Deeb
Brahim Fribgane
El Général
Shadia Mansour
Curated by Zeyba Rahman
Leadership support
provided by
Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
The extraordinary MCs from Mic Check come together to discuss the power of hip-hop in times of political change.
Inspired by the aesthetic of the intrepid recordists at film and record label Sublime Frequencies, this series explores the sounds of North Africa as captured by the label’s key directors.
Renegade Sufi expands upon classical raga with otherworldly electronics, hypnotic drum loops, and free-jazz-style improvisation to produce deep, trancelike grooves.
Malian rapper Amkoullel is part of a new wave of African hip-hop artists.
Deeb is an Egyptian hip-hop artist, poet, and reporter.
Tunisian rapper El Général is best known for “Rais Lebled,” the anthem of the Jasmine Revolution.
Brahim Fribgane is a Moroccan oud player and percussionist based in New York City.
Palestinian singer and MC Shadia Mansour has been called "the first lady of Arabic hip hop.”