Author: madamerap

Ettijah is the first female Palestinian rap band based in a refugee camp. Founded in 2013, the trio composed of Dalya Ramadan, 18, Nadeen Odeh, 17, and Diala Shaheen, 16, lives in Dheisheh, a camp located just south of Bethlehem and administrated by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The three rappers told us about their experience in hip hop and their daily struggles.

How and when did you discover hip hop and what made you want to become rappers?

We followed a training with Musicians Without Borders in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, we joined a nine-girl hip hop at Shoruq, (an NGO founded in 2012 in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, ed.)

Our first trainer, Mohammed Azmi, is the one who taught us how to rap and develop our skills. Then, we decided to start our own rap band called Shoruq Rap Girls. And then, three years ago, we chose the name Ettijah.

How was Ettijah founded? 

The band was founded at Shoruq during a summer camp in 2013. We were part of this training program and chose to continue using the facilities and recording studios at Shoruq. We got support from different people, which helped us continue our project. Our current trainer is Nadim Alayaseh.

Which artists did you listen to while growing up?

Nadeen Odeh: Shadia Mansour, DMAR and Future.

Diala Shaheen: Eminem and Big Sam.

What messages do you wish to convey with your music?  

Nadeen Odeh: We rap about the daily challenges we have to face: the occupation, the night invasions, check points, women’s rights, traditions and restrictions that women have to face.

Diala Shaheen: Human rights from different perspectives, freedom and how people judge others without knowing them.

Is there an active female rap scene in Palestine? If so, are you in touch with other female rappers? 

Yes, there are Shadia Mansour, girls  from DMAR and Safaa Hathot, but now Ettijah is the only active female rap band. We are the only female rappers from a refugee camp in Palestine and the only ones who started when we were young.

We met DMAR this year and Shadia Mansour several times at Shoruq organization two or three years ago.

Do you consider yourselves feminists? If so, how would you describe your feminism?  

Nadeen Odeh: I don’t think I’m a feminist but I rap about women’s rights and defend other women as well. 

Diala Shaheen: No.

Who are your female role models and why?

Nadeen Odeh: Any woman who resists and tries to defend her rights.

Diala Shaheen: Why should I have role models? I myself am a role model.

What are your upcoming projects?

We are currently working on three new songs. One of them is called Ettijah and tells the story of us rapping for seven years. Another one is a music video that we’ll be working on in January. We are also trying to organize a tour in the US for the next summer. 

What do you think of Madame Rap? What should be changed or improved?

Nadeen Odeh: It’s amazing because it helps us know other women in rap and gives us the opportunity to tell people about our story and to be strong with other women in the world. It helps us continue our journey as young female rappers. However, I would be happier if I didn’t see the name of the occupation on your list.

Diala Shaheen: I like it and encourage you to publish more songs on the platform and tell us about upcoming concerts and performances and also do more cooperations with other rappers.

Find Ettijah on Facebook and Instagram.

Queens rapper Dai Burger told us about her experience in hip hop, her second album that will be out on December 6 and what being queer means to her. 

How and when did you discover hip hop and what made you want to become a rapper? 

As an only child growing up in Queens NY, I used television and my love for arts and crafts to keep me occupied. This was the era of MTV, TRL, BET and video outlet networks. I was immediately obsessed with what was actually pop culture in the making. So as a product of my youth, I can’t help but emulate this in who I am, and my music. Which I like to call a hip pop blend.

Which artists did you listen to while growing up?

My faves included Missy Elliot, TLC, Kelis, Gwen Stefani and artists like Ludacris and Busta Rhymes. I still listen to these artists to this day! I love hip hop with a comedic twist and some theatrical flair.

My feminism is my own special blend.

You started your career as a dancer. How are dancing and rapping complementary to you? 

They go hand-in-hand as my stage show plays a BIG part in my brand and who I am. It’s amazing! Lol. I love crowd participation, big movements and owning the stage. Dancing is mandatory for me.

You just released the track Salty. Is it part of a new project coming soon?

It is! My sophomore album Bite the Burger” is coming December, 6. I’m so excited to share it as it explains my journey this far. Let’s just say I’m nice and seasoned at this point, but eager to continue growing.

My peers and I are the change.

You’re often presented as a queer rapper. Do you identify as such? What does the term “queer” mean to you? 

I do! To me, being queer just means being open and honest about who you are and not confining yourself to anything. Even if you’re not quite sure who you are or want to become, whether that concerns gender, sexuality, career paths or social conformities, it’s about being honest in saying that you’re figuring it/yourself out. I am honest to say I live life to my fullest enjoyment however I see fit, period!

Do you consider yourself a feminist? If so, how would you describe your feminism?     

As a woman coming up in a male dominated industry, I can’t help but to represent the strength, wisdom and compassion that women provide. So if being proud of who I am, and the females that raised me, and the women out here representing and putting on for themselves and their families is considered being a feminist, then that I am! And by the way, feminism is for everybody, and can be represented in so many different ways. My feminism is my own special blend.

Hip hop is often pictured as sexist and homophobic. However, it is more inclusive than many other music genres and many LGBTQIA artists express themselves through rap. How would you explain this? 

Yes, hip hop has often been portrayed this way, but I am so happy to not only be a part of the shift, but to witness the growth and inclusion of the genre. My peers and I are the change. Music sees no color, gender or sexuality. Music is what you feel. It’s what YOU make of it.

Who are your role models and why?

My mother and my grandmother are my role models. They showed me what it takes to be a strong and independent woman, in times where women are expected to be a certain way. I thank them for allowing me to break my own standards of what’s deemed “normal,” and becoming my own role model.

What are your plans for the upcoming months? 

More music, more videos, more antics, more input, more EVERYTHING! The burgers been going 5+ years strong and I’m showing no signs of slowing down, only growing!

What do you think of Madame Rap? What should be changed or improved? 

I love Madame Rap, because females in music and pop culture deserve such a platform where we can be accepted, heard and publicized in the right light. Madame Rap does just that. Thank you!

Find Dai Burger on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Soundcloud.

Raja Meziane is an Algerian songwriter, singer, rapper and lawyer. As she has been listed as one of the BBC’s 100 most influential women of the year, the Prague-based-artist told us about her activism and the reasons of her exile.

How did you discover hip hop and how did you start to rap?

I didn’t really discover rap, I have always been a fan since my earliest childhood. It is a music I have always been attracted to. Making rap wasn’t a decision or a choice but every time I needed to express my anger, I found myself writing texts that could only be turned into rap verses.

How do you write? Do you have any rituals?

To write, I just need to completely keep myself to myself and listen to myself.

Would you say rap is a political tool?

I don’t see rap as a political tool, but more as a simple and powerful means to directly address the collective consciousness, which, in my opinion, makes its strength.

You left Algeria for Czechia in 2015. Why is that?

I unfortunately didn’t have other choice but to leave my country. I received direct and indirect pressures after I released the track Révolution in 2013 and in 2014, after I refused to contribute to a song to support the fourth term of the president in-place. These pressures ended up stifling me.

Are you in contact with other female rappers in Algeria or in Czechia?

Honestly, I don’t know any but the hip hop scene in both countries is very real.

You are listed as one of the BBC’s 100 most influential women of the year. What does it mean to you?

Being part of BBC’s list is definitely a precious acknowledgement, which helped raise my voice further and allowed me to discover 99 other struggles, achievements and dreams.

Who are your female role models?

‘Dihya” aka ”El Kahina” (a Berber queen), Miriam Makeba and my mom.

Do you consider yourself a feminist?

I don’t consider myself a feminist but I am a woman who defends women’s rights and injustice no matter what, otherwise I don’t like to put a label on my commitments.

What are your upcoming projects?

Many ongoing and upcoming singles, collaborations and concerts, some of which will be in France.

What do you think of Madame Rap?

Madame Rap made me discover quite a lot about the female rap scene in France and elsewhere thanks to helpful articles. I think it is a very good platform for well-known or unknown female rappers. As far as I’m concerned, it is a go-to, don’t change a thing!

Find Raja Meziane on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.