Soundtracks of citizenship: social and political genealogies of Moroccan hip hop

ABSTRACT

Since the 1990s, Hip hop created unique platforms for reclaiming the nation and forging citizenship desires. I explore this blending of citizenship desires into soundtracks and lyrics as a pedagogy of citizenship that hip hop artists activated through songs, role modelling, and the forging of creative spaces in which responsible citizenship is defined and enacted. I first highlight hip hop as a new field of identification and diasporic imagination for the first generation of Hip hop artists in the 1990s. Before analyzing the lyrics of a few tracks, I stress the social and political genealogy of Moroccan rap to illustrate the rappers’ articulation of national belonging in the context of Islamization of public discourse and the global fight against terror. Hip hop has shaped new spaces for the pedagogical enacting of citizenship engagements in music, fashion, and community engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Hip hop
• pedagogies of citizenship
• culture
• aesthetics
• protest

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 L’boultek is a space offered to the artists by sponsor Karim Tazi and used as recording studios, offices, and meeting space.

2 For a lengthy analysis of neoliberalism and the rap scene in Morocco, see Salois (2013).

3 See Farida belyazide and Dominique Caudet’s documentary Casanayda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRrT1zRzmFQ.

4 See Rapport (2009), Abbatoirs de Casablanca: Fabrique Culturelle, courtesy of Dounia Benslimane, also available online. http://www.casamemoire.org/rapports/RAPPORT_ABATTOIRS_2009.pdf.

5 See document, Un projet pour l’abattoir a Casablanca, La ville d’Amsterdam, Evert Verhagen, January 2008. Document in possession of the author. https://www.google.com/search?q=%2C±Un±projet±pour±l%E2%80%99abattoir±a±Casablanca%2C±La±ville±d%E2%80%99Amsterdam%2C±Evert±Verhagen%2C±January±2008.&oq=%2C±Un±projet±pour±l%E2%80%99abattoir±a±Casablanca%2C±La±ville±d%E2%80%99Amsterdam%2C±Evert±Verhagen%2C±January±2008.±&aqs=chrome..69i57.833j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Accessed, September 20, 2021.

6 ‘De l’Internationale-metal au conflit sociétal local : la scène de Casablanca, Entretien avec Amine Hamma’. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/De-l%E2%80%99Internationale-metal-au-conflit-soci%C3%A9tal-local-Hamma-Guibert/aa0bd78f05da29eb8ef77581488fe6ffcb07db5e. Accessed, September 20, 2021.

7 For the international echoes of the trial see: José Garçon, les rabat-joie du Maroc and roll: 14 amateurs de hardrock condamnés pour satanisme. Liberation, March 14, 2003. https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2003/03/14/les-rabat-joie-du-maroc-and-roll_458547/. Accessed November 23, 2021.

8 See CasaNayda a documentary by Farida belyazide and Dominique Caudet’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRrT1zRzmFQ.

9 The clip can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxtCKKFhvWw.

10 Translation by the author of selected verses. The Lyrics can be found here: https://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114682. Accessed on September 19, 2021.

11 The track can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vWy4ZNa2tc. Accessed on September 19, 2021. For the lyrics see, https://genius.com/Don-bigg-al-khouf-lyrics.

12 Translated by the author.

13 Al Jazeera-Documentary/ October 20, 2011. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xapkyc.

14 The track introduction can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wONsD9rVVUM&list=PLEj6Dk3pzvlN9L7TOdp9FL0Alk__WBBn1&index=1.

15 Translation of selected verses by the author. Link to the track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrtq22l34Us&list=PLEj6Dk3pzvlN9L7TOdp9FL0Alk__WBBn1&index=5.

16 Access the complete lyrics of Issawa style in this link: https://genius.com/H-kayne-issawa-style-lyrics.

The clip, Issawa style, can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TRhCRUvjR0.

17 The clip can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0tKoJ_3GtE. Accessed, November 22, 2021. And the link to the full lyrics in this link, https://genius.com/Fnaire-mat9ich-bladi-lyrics.

18 See Amin Bendriouch’s interview and fashion show in this link https://www.google.com/search?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjlyqouD06qs&ei=-KtNYZeOI4PikgWC-prwCg&oq=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjlyqouD06qs&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EANKBAhBGABQwxdYwxdg0yVoAHACeACAAcABiAH8ApIBAzAuMpgBAKABAcABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwiX6sbqtpfzAhUDsaQKHQK9Bq4Q4dUDCA4&uact=5. Accessed November 25, 2021.

19 See Les inrockuptibles: https://www.lesinrocks.com/actu/amine-bendriouich-le-designer-qui-enchante-marrakech-et-casablanca-176013-25-09-2018/.

20 See Amin Driouch intervention here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlyqouD06qs. His interview can be found here: https://www.lavieeco.com/culture/amine-bendriouich-ace-que-je-veux-dire-a-travers-mon-vetement-est-le-plus-importanta-34493/.