Ihda'

Dedication (Rap Album)
Studio album by DAM
Released 2006
Genre Arabic Hip Hop
Label Red Circle Mttusic
Professional ratings
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Ihda Dedication' is the debut album by DAM released in November 2006 by the British Record Label Red Circle Music - RCM, It is the DAM's debut album and the first Palestinian Hip Hop Album. The album was licensed to EMI Arabia to distribute it in the Middle East except for Palestine where it was distributed independently. The album contains 15 tracks, the cover of the album was taken by the Palestinian Photographer Steve Sabella.

Track listing

  1. "Mukadime (Intro)"
  2. "Mali Huriye (I Don't Have Freedom)" ft. Alaa Azam and Anat Egbariye
  3. "Ng'ayer Bukra (Change Tomorrow)"
  4. "Warde (Flower)" ft. SAZ
  5. "Inkilab (Revolution)"
  6. "Ya Sayidati (My Lady)" ft. Suhell Fodi from Zaman
  7. "Al Huriye Unt'a (Freedom for My Sisters)" ft. Safa' Hathut from Arapeyat
  8. "Hibuna Ishtruna (Love Us and Buy Us)"
  9. "Mes Endroits (My Hood)" ft. Nikkfurie from La Caution
  10. "Usset Hub (A Love Story)" ft. Rawda Suleiman and Ibrahim Sakalla
  11. "G'areeb Fi Bladi (Stranger in My Own Country)" ft. Amal Bisharat
  12. "Kalimat (Words)"
  13. "Sawa' al Zaman (Driver of Fate)"
  14. "Ihda' (Dedication)" ft. Ibrahim Sakalla

Lyrics and Translations

For Lyrics and Translations to English go to DAM's official website

The Stories Behind Ihda' Tracks

Intro (Mukadime)

DAM decided to build a bridge between the old generation and the new generation, after feeling that leaders were missing they decided to go back and sample the Egyptian Arab leader Jamal Abd al Nasser, they couldn't find a HQ speech for him, they almost gave up until they got an old cassette that had many speeches (more than an hour) and they spent 2 nights listening to it looking for the right parts for their Intro and scratch, after hearing Jamal Abd al Nasser talking about a new day and a new generation that will make that difference that they believe in they went to the studio and edited the speech to their Intro.

I have no Freedom (Mali Huriye)

DAM were invited by Juliano Mer Khamis to his house to watch his documentary "Arna's Children" they were so moved by the film that they decided to dedicate a song for the film, they picked the melody that the kids and the locals are singing in a theatre day in the Jinin Camp, they fell in love with the line "Why the children of the world are free except us?" Because of the bad quality in the sound of the show they couldn't understand what the sentence that comes before that line s is they decided to re write it. "Wherever I go I see borders imprisoning humanity, why the children of the world are free except us?" Since the hook ends with a question, they decided to answer that at the end of the song, the solution, they used Nizar Qabani's poet "We Need a New Generation" and invited 10 years old Anat Egbareye to record the last part of the song.

The song was used in the following Films/TV shows: "Where in the world is Osama Ben Laden?" 2008 - an American documentary by Morgan Spurlock (Super size me). "Forgiveness" 2007, by the American/Israeli director Udi Aloni "Check Point Rocks" 2009 Fermin Muguruza and Javier Corcuera "Arab Labor" the hit TV show by Sayed Kashou

Change Tomorrow (Ng'ayer Bukra)

The song is a sequel to the song before it, I have no Freedom, the hook is sung by kids from the Arabic ghettos of Lyd, they are singing "We want education, we want a progress, to find the strength so we change tomorrow, the song made a big buzz when it was used for the successful TV Show "Avoda Aravit – Arab Labor" by the Palestinian writer Sayed Kashou'

Flower (Wardeh)

Warde is a slang used in Lyd, it means Brother, dude, my man, the song is an ego trip song, talking about whose the best on the mic.

Revolution (Inkilab)

This is Suhell Nafar's solo, the song is a sign to Suhell's new style, as he stopped doing rap and starting to do reggae, this is the first Palestinian reggae song.

My Lady (Ya Sayedati)

First single of the album, it was released in Valentine's Day 2006, the Ya Sayedati Video was the first video clip from the album and was directed by Marwan Asaad

Freedom for my Sister (Al Huriye Unt'a)

Tamer's first solo in the album, the song shows that DAM protest against any type of oppression, in this song the case is Women's right, from birth, to status till the honor family killing, in their shows DAM present the song by saying "How can we beat the occupation with one hand? We need the other one, so lets stop chocking our sisters and instead use the hand to fight" The song is featuring Safaa Hathut, the first Palestinian female rapper from Arapiyat Acka.

Its DAM (Da Dam)

The song represent DAM, who are they? What is the massage? The sample is a very popular Egyptian play called "Madraset al Mushag'ibin – The school of hooligans" with Adel Imam, Said Saleh, Ahmad Zaki and Yunes Shalabi. In one of their interviews DAM explained how hard it was to clear the sample since there was no official organization to ask it from, while they were in Berlin's film festival to participate in the opening of Udi Aloni's feature film "Forgiveness – Mehilot" that they played a role in, they met with the Egyptian actor Nour al Sherif and they spoke to him about the problem of the sample, he contacted them with Said Saleh (one of the main characters in the play) and Said signed the clearance and faxed it to DAM without any payment. It meant a lot to the group as they are bg fans and it was a sign for them that people from the Arab countries understands the situation of the Palestinians who lives in Israel and they are not to be judged.

Hibuna Ishtruna (Love us buy us)

"We made a catchy chorus without any meaning just so you can play it in the Radio", one of DAM's funniest song as they mock the meaningless songs that’s taking over the radios. When they did a lecture about Palestinian Hip Hop as a form of resistance in the University of Rome, Italy, they explained that they love pop music but they don't like the fact that it is the only thing played on TV and Radio, they say even if the media was playing only protest songs they will sing "We made a protest song just so you can play us". DAM: "The massage is that our culture like any culture is colorful, we have pop stars, we have alternative music, we have hardcore artists, let's give a shot to everyone" One of the lines of the songs, Tamer Nafar: "If you shake your head you will move your brain an get though out of it, but we only shake the ass, so all we get is shit"

My Hood (Mes Endroits) feat. Nikkfurie/La Caution

Another funny song, a sarcastic view to the ghettos, DAM explained that at the beginning they used to rap about their ghetto, when they succeeded in Palestine then found out that the world is bigger than their hood, when they started touring around the world they discovered that the world is bigger than Palestine, and if the Israeli Police is working with the Atlanta Police to oppress the minorities then minorities can work together and fight the oppressors, that why they chose to work with La Caution, they will talk about their ghetto in Israel and he will talk about his ghetto is France. Part of the lyrics in the song, Mahmood Jreri : "In my hood they buy the speakers before they buy the car, wait a sec, there is something wrong in what I said, let me correct, in my hood no one have money to buy anything, we steal" Suhell Nafar: "I wanna thank the police for slapping me, that was a hell of an awaken call, and I want to thank government for demolishing my house, I was missing stones, now you gave me a lot"

A Love Story (Usset Hub)

Tamer's second solo in the album, the song have no chorus, instead of a melodic hook he went on acting parts, the whole song is a love story, he said in one of DAM's TV interviews that he finished writing a love story, and couldn't find a title, and they needed to print the cover so they kept it titled "A love story" simple as that. And in one of DAM's performances, they started the song by reading a quote from the Egyptian writer Nawal al Sa'dawi when she explains how love is treated by the Arab society, the lovers are like 2 beautiful flowers and society is like the bees, they suck the honey and the sweetness of it. The song is featured the Palestinian actress Rawda Suleiman as the role of the girl and the mother and the singer/actor Ibahim Sakalla as Tamer's friend in the song.

Stranger in my own Country (G'areeb fi Bladi)

Stranger in my own country: Starting the song with the voice of the late Tawfik Ziad, DAM went to visit his family before they released the song and they got a clearance to use Twafik Ziad's voice and words. and continuing with verses that explains to the Arab world the catch 22 that the Palestinians who lives in Israel are stocked it, lines like "Till today The Arab world is treating us as Israelis and till tomorrow Israel will treat us as Palestinians, I am a stranger in my own countries" The 3rd verse (Tamer's verse), Tamer is using the names of the 13 martyrs that were killed by the Israeli forces, he is using it as a word play, using their names as verbs, in one of the interviews Tamer explains: "it took him more than a month to deliver the political massage using specific names as verbs and only in 16 bars and not more, it was challenging but worth it, sometimes after a show someone surprises me and tells me I am the sister of one of the martyrs, or the mother, and they come to talk to me after hearing his name in the song, it is sad but it moves me"

Words (Kalimat)

Mahmood's solo in the album, the missing piece, a hardcore song for the streets, the Mahmood is explaining how the important role of the lyrics/words and speeches during the history of the world, the chorus is samples from DAM's old songs. Originally the song was recorded on the Fairuz sample "Habeitak bl Saif" but after having problems with the clearance they recomposed it. Lines from the song, Mahmood Jreri: "I am the word's master but I am their slave as well" "And those who are gifted, can use them to walk through borders and in some governments, it’s forbidden to give words freedom But if you choke them and kill them then it's allowed"

Driver of Faith (Sawa' al Zaman)

Hany Abu-Assad, director of the film Paradise Now won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. Hany: "I just finished editing my documentary Ford Transit (2002) and I had in one of my scenes a song by Dr. Dre – Big Egos, after meeting DAM they offered me replace the song, if the scenes were about Palestine then it should be backed by Palestinian Hip Hop and DAM were the right people for that, they were limited by the creation of the song since the scene is already edited, so they took Dr. Dre song as a reference and came out with something the fits perfect and new, me and my staff watched the scene with the both songs and we all voted for the new DAM song, Driver of Fate, which lyrically goes with the film, but not one on one, more metaphorically"

Dedication (Ihda')

A review From the Arabic Hip Hop Heads website. The final track is a bitter sweet personal Dedication (Ihda’) to all those who supported DAM - a good song indeed. The song features Ibrahim Sakalla, and is composed by Ori Shochat.

Awards

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