Gaza Rappers Persevere Despite Hamas Ban

The Gazan hip-hop group Palestinian Unit has been traveling across Europe, performing for a growing fan base. Although their popularity is on the rise in Spain, France and Denmark, in Gaza they are banned. According to one of the group’s members, rapper Ayman Jamal Mghames, the official excuse of the Hamas-led government is that hip-hop is too “Western.” He has no doubt, however, that it is the messages in the group's songs that the authorities find problematic.

“We are political rappers. We talk about our daily life, and since we live a daily political life, political issues are part of our music,” Mghames told Al-Monitor in Gaza City. “We criticize the government’s actions, whether here or in the West Bank. We disagree with most of the politicians’ actions, not forgetting to mention the Israeli occupation.”

Mghames acknowledges the difficulty of being a hip-hop artist in Gaza, explaining that when he and his group tried to obtain permission from the Ministry of Culture to perform, they were offered a venue for free if they agreed to perform under the Hamas banner. The group walked away, giving the offer little consideration. For now they perform in their homes and record in private studios.

“They are afraid we will affect the mentality of people,” Mghames offered, adding that he believes Hamas' real fear is that young people will get involved in political and social issues or criticize what they do. He added, “So they try to limit our thoughts.”