Here is a documentary which charts the genesis and growth of the Palestinian hip hop movement. Tamar, the leader of DAM, the first ever Palestinian hip hop group, shares his debts of gratitude to Tupac and other black rappers in America. He sees his music as a nonviolent protest against the Israeli occupation and the subjugation of his people. He is willing to speak at schools since for many kids drug dealers are the only heroes they have. Here rap music becomes a catalyst to self-esteem and the quest for justice.
Director Jackie Reem Salloum creatively shows how the daily humiliations, the violence, the wall, the destruction of Palestinian homes, the checkpoints, and the military attacks drain the energy of the Palestinian people. She also offers profiles of Mahmoud Shalabi, a rapper from Akka and solo R & B artist Abeer who along with Arepeyat have been pioneers as women in the hip hop scene. There is also a segment on PR, a group from Gaza where the suffering and pain of the Palestinian people is most acute.
Screened at the New Directors/New Films Festival in New York City, April 2008.
