1. Shakira ft. Freshlyground – “Waka Waka”
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2. Khaled M – “Beautiful Feeling”

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3. Mahmoud El-Esseily – “Salaam Ya Balady”


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4. The Narcicyst – “Paranoid Arab Boy”

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5. Massari – “Real Love”

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Let us and the artists know what you think by leaving a comment below…

The jury’s still out on whether the coolest thing about this video is either: a) Narcy’s friend telling him he needs a “fatwa” b) the dancing Gitmo prisoners or c) the deeply symbolic cartoon cloud of Narcy’s thoughts dancing on the wall. Regardless of what wins, this video is fun and thought-provoking. While the topic may at first seem standard and overdone, Iraqi-Canadian rapper The Narcicyst gives us a fresh look at a trip through customs. And it’s directed and shot so well, we can’t wait to see what’s next from director (and Narcy’s sister) Hala Alsalman.

STATS:
Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis: Sega Genesis
Favorite rapper: A mix between Nas, Mos Def and Pharoah Monch
Pac or BIG: Pac because he was very very complicated, and Biggie because he taught you how to be free.

1. If you had one chance to collab with any artist or musician in the world, who would it be and why?
Stevie Wonder, because he changed my life. His music has helped me through grief, it’s helped me through love, it’s helped me through pain. Stevie Wonder hits so many categories in my life.

2. How connected do you feel the Arab hip-hop scene in North America is?
I think the Arab hip-hop scene in North America is comprised of the same beautiful things and the same ugly things that the mainstream hip-hop scene has. So you have this whole faction of angry Arabs, who use religion and militancy because they think it’s empowering but they don’t realize that they’re further engendering the stereotype. Then you have the cats that are all about the money who are representative of capitalism. Then you have the cats like us that are in the middle, who like to party, but are aware that the party comes at a cost. So I think it’s about as divided as the Middle East is.

3. Where’s your favorite place to write, or create?
Either on my couch, or on a plane.

4. How does it feel to have made a “PHATWA” of your own?
It feels great! I held back on making a music video for a while, because I believe visuals are very important. We’re in a visual culture as human beings, so I think that if you get the visuals twisted then you get the whole song twisted and you get the whole movement twisted. So it was definitely a dream come true for me, and having my sister direct it makes it even better.

5. What cartoon character is the best reflection of you and your personality?
A lot of people call me Tasmanian Devil. But I feel like Ren and Stimpy together, as one. ‘Cause I’m a Gemini, so I have two sides of me that always battle each other. So it’s either Ren and Stimpy or Tom and Jerry.

6. Narcel X?
Malcolm is the perfect example of a man for me, because he was changing until his last minute. He was always very critical of himself and his people. So he as a man is an example of what I strive to be like. In no way would I want to replicate that because you can’t, but he’s a huge inspiration in my life. So my writing “Narcel X” is because I’m political but I’m also very human, and that was who Malcolm was.

Every human being is a narcissist one way or another or at least at some point in their life. And I think it’s the destruction of mankind. The metaphor of falling into your own reflection is fame as well. So this thing that we strive for will eat itself alive.

Director Ali Mustafa’s City of Life appropriately debuted at the 6th Annual Dubai International Film Festival. Shot entirely in the fledgling city of Dubai, with its culturally schizophrenic growth at the very heart of the film, the city itself becomes a sprawling post-modern character, and first time director Mustafa doesn’t shy away from showing us the grimy as well as the glitzy elements of this character. City of Life is ambitious and looks really really slick, thanks to the spectacular cinematography of Michael Brierly.

Best described as a Middle Eastern version of Crash, where the lives of three castes of characters intersect wildly with one another to lead us to seemingly fated consequences, the film sets a strong standard as the pioneer feature of the region. Strong performances from Sonu Sood, Natalie Dormer and Yassin ‘the Narcicyst’ Al-Salman keep a relatively linear storyline fresh and compelling.

The Narcicyst, a.k.a. Jamal Abdel Narcel, a.k.a. Yassin Alsalman, a.k.a.

His latest, self-titled album The Narcicyst is a memoir of sorts–especially on tracks like “P.H.A.T.W.A.” and “The Narcicyst”– but in many ways, it’s not a memoir specific to the artist but to being an Arab in North America. The album deals with the portrayal of Arabs in the media and the newscast-type lyrics are accompanied by samples from television shows and the news. Yassin has an M.A. in Media Studies from Concordia University, the entire scope of his work make this evident. He has built his own niche in educated, creative, and political hip-hop while still being entertaining instead of preachy (unlike some yawn worthy conscious hip-hop artists).

Narcy collaborates with Arab artists like Syrian-American rapper Omar Offendum on “The Last Arabs”, whose softer voice are a good balance to Narcy’s more aggressive tones, and Shadia Mansour on “Hamdulilah”, a song which sends shivers down your spine with its power. The albums’ beats touch on a variety of eras and instruments. The violin consistently returns throughout the album as it invites us into the album and escorts us out. Many of the tracks evoke memories of REAL hip-hop, not the homogeneous, commercial stuff that fills our ears today, the same goes with the Arabic type beats he uses. The sound in “No More Mr. Nice Guy” is a little like Metronomy’s “The End of You Too”–if that song was on Egyptian steroids.

Narcy utilizes the power of creativity in hip-hop to its full potential, “Lie of the Century (Untrulude)” is an homage to the Arabic national anthems sung by children in the madrasah where the lyrics describe how Arabs are not a source for oil. Serious subject matters are lightened with fun beats and quirky song names. If you’re too lazy to pick up the newspaper or the latest current affairs book, pick up The Narcicyst instead, you’ll do fine in a political argument afterwards.

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About the Author: Danah Abdulla was not born in Canada but has lived here since the age of two. A Palestinian with a degree from the University of Ottawa in something other than Engineering (Mass Communications, minor Commerce), she lives in Toronto where she works as a Digital Cultivator for a big advertising agency. She’s a freelance writer and a blogger. She likes to doodle, read, make jokes, and dance.