Queen of Lebanese hip-hop raps on revolution
Veteran Middle Eastern hip-hop artist Malikah's new release at the height of the Lebanese protests marks a shift in her music and views on Lebanon.
BEIRUT — “I have gotten more laid back over time," admits Lebanese hip-hop artist Lynn Fattouh. "This was because of a growing sense of losing hope and losing faith in finding a solution [for my country]." But then she added, "What happened with the revolution is it brought this [anger back] because what I saw was hope."
On Oct. 24, a week after the protests started in Lebanon, Fattouh, known by her stage name Malikah (Queen in Arabic), released a song called “I’m Fighting.”
“I wrote it two-three years ago, but I thought it wasn't the right time to release it, so I never did. But with what is happening now, I had to,” she told Al-Monitor.
Protests erupted across Lebanon Oct. 17, following a rise in taxes and devastating forest fires that swept the nation the previous week. The protests gained momentum with the political system itself a target. Within a month, Prime Minister Saad Hariri stepped down and the Cabinet was dissolved.
