Imaginaries of Exile and Emergence in Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop David A

Home , Palestinian hip hop, Subliminal (rapper), Tamer Nafar, The Shadow (rapper)

Imaginaries of Exile and Emergence in Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop David A. McDonald

Figure 1. Invincible (Ilana Weaver) talking with her mother in her 2010 People Not Places video. (Screenshot by David McDonald)

Channels of Rage Anat Halachmi’s acclaimed 2003 documentary, Channels of Rage, begins with a furious argument between two prominent Israeli hip hop groups: DAM, a Palestinian-Israeli crew from Lyd com- prised of Tamer Nafar, Suheil Nafar, and Mahmoud Jrere; and TACT, a collection of Jewish- Israeli rappers led by Subliminal (Kobi Shimoni) and Shadow (Yoav Eliasi). Meeting in a dark alley in Tel Aviv, the groups nearly come to blows over recent comments made by the two lead- ers, Tamer Nafar and Shimoni. Once collaborative and nurturing, the relationship between the two young rappers quickly dissolved as each began to embody contrasting political ideologies within the ongoing al-Aqsa intifada. Coming to terms with the violence on the streets of Tel Aviv and Jenin, both artists retreated from their once supportive relationship, based in a mutual love of hip hop, into the rigid, uncompromising nationalisms of Israel and Palestine. Yet if we look beyond the belligerence and hyper-masculinized posturing, we witness an insightful commentary on contemporary Israeli society at the outset of the al-Aqsa intifada. Refracted through the lives and experiences of these young hip hop artists, Halachmi’s film reveals the internal struggles young Israelis, Jewish and non-Jewish, faced during a profound

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70 David A. McDonald The LightofZion(2001) moment ofcollectiveviolence, trauma, andmourning. Through hisimmenselypopularCDs, 2013) andcoeditorof Is My Weapon: Music, Nationalism, andthePoetics ofPalestinian Resistance (DukeUniversity Press, North America. In onmusic, violence,andmasculinity, additiontoarticles heis theauthorof Since 2002hehasworked closelywithPalestinian communitiesinIsrael, Jordan, the West Bank, and atIndiana University.David andAnthropology A.McDonaldProfessor isAssistant ofEthnomusicology Palestinian-Israeli rapgroupDAM atamomentintheircareerswhentheywerestillstruggling work inIsrael, Jordan, andthe West Bank. During thattimeIbecamecloselyinvolvedwiththe ing andtouringwithintermittentlyoverthelast10yearswhile conductingethnographicfield- potential nonviolentalternativestotrauma, mourning, andloss. engagement. And fromthisengagementemerges aprovocativeframeworkforthinkingthrough atives. Hearguesforareimaginingoftheselfinitspure relationality, astheconsequenceof or whathecalls “first philosophy,” Levinasencouragesustoquestionnormativemoralimper courses ofexileandthenation-state. Rootedinthefoundational engagementofselfandother, “ethics ofresponsibility” forchartingoutpossiblenonviolentalternativestotheentrencheddis- ter. Inrelationtothesehiphopartists, however, IwouldliketoconsidertheutilityofLevinas’s theory, andoffersincredibleinsightintoconceptualizingothernessintheethnographicencoun- raphy (Madison2005:96–99). Levinashaslongbeenaninfluentialvoiceinpostmodernethical ideas ofFrenchphilosopherEmmanuelLevinas(1906–1995)intheservicecriticalethnog- gender andperformancestudies. Inparticular, Iaminspiredbyrecentattemptstoemploythe power, hegemony, andpopularcultureintheMiddleEast. reimagining ofthenation-state, andoffersnewopportunitiesforinterrogatingthedynamicsof cursive shiftfromexiletoemergenceembodiedintheworkoftheseartistspresentsaunique torical connectionsbetweenandwithinJewishPalestiniancommunitiesinIsrael. The dis- emergence thatresistsexilicnotionsofboundaries, andexploresthesharedculturalhis- these artistsarticulatewhatmightbetermedapostcolonialandpost-nationaldiscourseof mance andmedia. Infilmscreenings, paneldiscussions, andcollaborativemusic Palestinian) attemptstotranscendtherigidbinariesofnation-statethroughhiphopperfor digms: hip hop(2000–2010), Ifocusspecificallyontheperformativeinterplayoftwodiscursivepara damental meansforunderstandingviolence, politics, andtheIsraelination-state. throughout thisdocumentaryarethemyriadwaysinwhichbothmenutilizedhiphopasafun- these youngartistswereneverabletofullyreconciletheirdifferences, whatbecomesapparent terms withsharedfearsandanxietiesthatexistbetweenIsraelisPalestinians. And although was notaninstrumentofwarbutopportunityforunderstanding, ameansforcomingto disrupting dominantregimesofknowledge, representation, andpower. Forhim, nationalgrief destabilize Israeli-JewishhegemonybyassertingaPalestinianperspectiveinthepublicsphere, noncombatants, “whether theyarewearingauniformornot” (Nafar2005). Hisvoicesoughtto a reconceptualizationofthediscourseterrortoincludeallactsviolencecommittedagainst ancestry, advocatedforareimaginingofIsraelisocietyinordertoincludeallitscitizensand self-defense. Tamer Nafar, asoneofIsrael’sovermillionnon-JewishcitizensPalestinian war, apowerfulmeansofengenderingsolidarityandlegitimizinganoccupationinthename paranoia, andtheillusorydesirefornationalsecurity. Nationalgriefbecameaninstrumentof tary strength. HissongsarticulatedthewidespreadfearsofPalestinianinsurrection, existential ical right, advocatingforaswiftandpowerfulresponsetoPalestinianterrorismthroughmili- University Press, 2013)[email protected] I focusprimarilyonagroupofIsraelihiphopartistswhom had thepleasureofwork- In formingthisargumentIdrawuponrecentscholarshipinpostcolonialtheoryaswell Situating theworkofthesetwoartistswithinbroaderhistoryIsraeliandPalestinian exile andemergence. A recentcollaborationbyseveralIsraeliartists(bothJewishand Palestinian Music andSong: Expression andResistance since1900(Indiana and The LightandtheShadow(2002), Subliminalenergizedthepolit- performances, My Voice - - Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 71 -

was made possible by renewed efforts in Israeli was made possible by renewed efforts in — such as food, music, and fashion music, such as food,

—

It was within this prolonged moment of possibility that hip hop first developed in Israel. Israel. It was within this prolonged moment of possibility that hip hop first developed in ature, and music, inspiring debate and a renewed interest in revisionist history (Pappe 2006; inspiring debate and and music, ature, as it was colloqui- “post-Oslo honeymoon,” the Palestinian communities, Within Shohat 2010). allowing for the reemergence of ended the pervasive intifada culture of the 1980s, ally known, sociality between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis (soc- previously suppressed forms of everyday and artists, Palestinian musicians, falafel stands). beach, walks along the weddings, cer games, agents of cultural preservation and propaganda. dancers were no longer expected to be mere to develop new forms of music and dance in collaboration with it became permissible Rather, Palestinian danc- non-Arab) world (McDonald 2009b; Rowe 2010). the transnational (i.e., and develop America began returning to Palestine to teach ers trained in Europe and North with the Musicians previously burdened 2010). new styles of hybridized dance-drama (Rowe as a tool of cultural resistance began experiment- obligation of preserving traditional folklore The popularity of this emerg- compositional processes. and instruments, ing with new styles, engagement and justify further legitimize, reify, ing Palestinian cosmopolitanism served to culture served In each case the development of new forms of popular world. “outside” with the popular sentiment and new imaginings of national identity as well as to generate both to reflect expansion of public and the collaboration, Aesthetic experimentation, (see Blacking 1995:223). a radical reconceptualization of national modes of consumption reflected an awakening of sorts, by cit- At the same time, subjectivity away from the intractable past towards an imagined future. popular culture generated new ways ing a more general discourse of peace and reconciliation, engagement with the national of public performance, In various modes of thinking and being. Other served to sustain and accelerate new forms of identity and intelligibility. documen- Anat Halachmi brilliantly captures the collaborative origins of Israeli hip hop in her 2000 for one of the first hip hop festivals in Israel, Making their way to Eilat in tary (2003). and their many companions spent the nearly six-hour bus ride Kobi Shimoni, Nafar, Tamer and otherwise talking of Jewish-Arab coexis- joking around, free-styling beats, sharing lines, Tamer Nafar explained: one of our conversations in 2005, Reflecting on the experience in tence. and the Public Sphere by the consumption of those very products and practices. which itself was buttressed diplomacy, liter the founding myths of Zionism in cinema, The Israeli public sphere critically examined In the years leading up to and immediately following the signing of the Declaration of Principles to and immediately following the signing In the years leading up affected by new social and throughout the Middle East was profoundly popular culture in 1993, Within Israeli and those realities. as it was simultaneously influencing even political realities, drastically reconfigured the pub- the inception of the peace process Palestinian communities, 1999; Stein and Swedenburg spaces for radical dialogue and debate (Hass opening lic sphere, radicalization resulted in new forms of representation andThis process of 2004; Brinner 2009). emerging political realities. or resistance to, for, regimes of knowledge that advocated support moment of collaborative possibilityAnd while this was by no means the first in Israel-Palestine, profound momentum for change within Israeli Jewish it was perhaps the first to initiate such a Arab spaces a new quasi-fascination with Ashkenazi public Within and Palestinian communities. culture Israeli Hip Hop, Popular Culture, Culture, Popular Hip Hop, Israeli to develop a local Palestinian hip hop scene both in the posh discotheques of Tel Aviv as well as as Aviv Tel of the posh discotheques hop scene both in a local Palestinian hip to develop course of this research Over the of Ramallah and Bethlehem. houses and theatres in the coffee in the and most recently Bank, West the occasions in Israel, the group on several I traveled with rap- to several other Israeli I was introduced working with DAM, While Midwest. American al-Farrah, Mohammad Weaver), Invincible (Illana (Abeer al-Zinaty), Witch da pers: Sabreena I draw col- of Israeli hip hop, the soundscape In surveying Kwami. and Kotej, Jay-mal (Krucial), despite my many efforts Unfortunately, and experiences of these artists. lectively on the voices object- declined participation in this research, colleagues TACT and their Shadow, Subliminal, Nafar. Tamer with their rival, ing to my close association Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

72 David A. McDonald

Riffing onthewell-knownsentimentofRodneyKing intelligibility, ameansofarticulatingnewformscommunity. a becomingofsomethingnew. This somethingnewcanthenbecomeamodelforagencyand address” (2004:44). To seekrecognition, toengage, begetsatransformation, anewfuture relation , the petition, wehavealreadybecomesomethingnew, sinceweareconstitutedbyvirtueofthe for ourselves, wearenotaskingforanOthertoseeusas[...]. Instead, intheasking, in transformation initsveryasking. “When werecognizeanother, orwhen weaskforrecognition reminds us, thefundamentalhumanneedanddesiretoberecognizedbyOtherelicitsa not arecognitionofandwithinthehistorypoliticspast. Rather, asJudithButler and Nafarrevealedhiphop’spotentialtoengenderadesiredmutualrecognition. Butthiswas radically reconceptualizethemselvesandtheirrelationstooneanother. musical stylebecameanimportantvehicleofembodimentthroughwhichtheseartistscould for, andperhapsdemanded, morecollaborativerepresentationsofselftoemerge. Inthisway, body comportment, posture, andgesturehiphopbecameatoolforidentificationthatallowed ioral choicesthatdeterminedanddefinedcommunalrelationships. Throughfashion, language, Rather, hiphopformedadiscursivespaceinwhichparticipantswerecompelledtomakebehav- of thenationalistbinary. Inthisinstancemusicalstylefunctionedasmorethanmerelyaframe. performers forinspiration, drewsimilarmeanings, andfoundaspaceforidentificationoutside tral spaceinthatbothJewishandPalestinianrapperslookedtothesame African American sive formtranscendednormativelinesofdifferencebetweennationalselfandother. Itwasneu- Israeli andPalestiniannationalistsong, thearticulationofan African American popularexpres- be radicallyreimagined. Unfetteredbytheindexicalassociationsandmeaningsoftraditional That somethingnew, hiphop, providedaneutralspacewithinwhichIsraeliidentitymight profound momentofrecognition. Through musictheseyoungartistsaregetting toknoweach power relations(Abu-Lughod 1990). The jokingbanter, wordplay, androughhousingreveal a berance ofthemoment, apalpablesenseofcommunity revealedintheirfrozenexpressions. our backs!” The camerathenfreezes, fixated onthefacesofyoungrappersraptinexu- hostilities ofthe American andIsraelipast, saying, “Aren’t youasecondclasscitizen?Getoff demands, “Film thecoexistence!Filmit!” Israeli nation-state. a desiredmutualrecognitionofracialcooperationanddiversity withinthediscourseof new Israelihiphopbereftofanddetachedfromthathistory ofethnicstrife, andbasedupon tice. However, inhismockeryofthatdiscourse, Shadowcallsforthaspaceforimagining American discourseofracialintoleranceoftenassociatedwithhiphopcultureandprac- stage, andafinelookingblackmanlikeme!” Thispassingcommentengageswithan African tification asaMizrahiJew, “Russian, Ethiopian, Arab, andPersianrapperscanstandonone an obscenegesture. “Only inIsrael, guys,” Shadowcontinues, highlightinghisownracialiden- laments, “Why can’twealljustgetalong?” Then, revealingthesubtextofhisparody, hemakes 1. Speaking directlyintothecameraShadow(Yoav Eliasi)givesvoicetothistransformation. Passing thetimeandmicrophone, andcomposinginterlacedversesofpoetry, Shimoni It isperhapsworththinkingthrough thisbriefinteractionasadiagnosticoftransformational Subliminal jokinglyrespondstohisnewPalestinianfriendby furtherexpungingtheracial Building onthisstatement Tamer Nafarthen throwshisarmaroundKobiShimoni, and trying tostartsomethingnew. To besomebody. (Nafar2005) making themusic. It[hiphop]wasn’taboutthat[thepoliticalsituation]. We werealljust groove, gettingtoknowotherpeople[inthescene]. We didn’tcareaboutanything, but In theearlyphases, especiallyatthatshow, itwasallaboutthemusic, thebeats, the For of DAM and its impact on the larger field of a history Palestinian nationalist song see McDonald (2013). — victim ofracialintolerance 1

— Shadow Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 73 hermeneutic . (Screenshot by David McDonald) David by (Screenshot Rage. of Channels Figure 2. Subliminal (Kobi Shimoni) and Tamer Nafar trading rhymes in Anat Anat in rhymes trading Nafar Tamer and Shimoni) (Kobi Subliminal 2. Figure documentary2003 Halachmi’s

As a means of theorizing this nationalist turn in Israeli hip hop I propose a based in the concept of exile as discursive practice. This discourse of exile, intelligible only This discourse of exile, based in the concept of exile as discursive practice. of belong- rests upon an ethics within a territorially framed understanding of human society, and a compulsory subjectivity arises from a punitive dislocation, to be more precise, Or, ing. In this instance belonging frustration of the desire to fully actualize the self in relation to place. The ultimate a national homeland. is framed in terms of communal and territorial contiguity, never truly fulfilling its can only be achieved asymptotically, however, realization of this desire, exile remains powerfully has been established, For even when a homeland compulsory desires. In this sense, operative in shaping and sustaining national intimacy and directing state policy. and a foreclosed desire for belonging, an instability, subjectivity is formed relative to an absence, Discourses of Exile of Exile Discourses nurturing relationship this collaborative and however, As foretold in the introductory scene, the onset of the al-Aqsa intifada several months later in October 2000, With did not endure. and their constituent Israeli and Palestinian these artists, and the escalation of violence in 2002, violence, Extreme restrictions of mobility, mode.” “conflict quickly reverted back to audiences, Bank and West transformed everyday life in the and the constant threat of military incursions a new culture of At the same time, effectively incarcerating Palestinian society. Gaza Strip, of the directly challenging the secular cosmopolitanism religiously framed martyrdom arose, pervasive fear, In Israel the escalation of the uprising in 2002 created an environment of 1990s. were severely dis- Everyday rituals and public sociality and social instability. anti-Arab racism, retreated in fear of random acts of terror: rupted as both Israeli and Palestinian communities of the 1990s was replaced by an even more powerful malaise “honeymoon,” or “awakening,” the poetry, popular music, graffiti, In print media, intolerance. and fundamentalism, of xenophobia, nationalism spread across the public sphere (Oliver the divisive poetics of fear and and dance, and Steinberg 2005; McDonald 2009b). other, playfully beginning a new playfully beginning other, based on a mutual relationship recognition and struggle for as artists, (as rappers, acceptance - as progres Arabs, as as Israelis, - This recogni etc.). sive youth, is accomplished however, tion, norma- by specifically reframing and subjec- power, tive history, lines of racial Traditional tivity. are sub- and religious difference play, jected to radical redress, The young and experimentation. and men pass the microphone They put posture for the camera. other, their arms around each - blurring racialized understand ings of taboo and consequence. This is a community and rela- In tionship of a different sort. soliciting this new recognition, these artists are in effect com- mitting an act of transgressive of conceptualizing self and other through the consti- fashioning new ways Israeli intelligibility, tutive power of discourse and performance. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

74 David A. McDonald coterminous relationbetweenselfandplace, nationandstate. insatiable desiretoalleviatethisinstabilitythroughterritorialrecognition, sovereignty, anda a constantfearofdispossessionfromplace. Determinationsofselfandotheremergewithinthe so, putyourhandsinthe air!” shows withthesameintroduction. “Who hereisproudtobeaZionistintheState ofIsrael?If cigarette in Arafat’s mouth,” hisbodyremainedself-assured, confident, resolute. Hebeganmost ing tohischestandthesky, neveroutofcontrol. Though thenationisatrisk, “dangling likea tained asenseofcool, strength, anddetermination. Hegesturedcarefullyintothecrowd, point- cure forthenation’sinherentvulnerability. Striding calmlyacrossthestage, Subliminalmain- of theIsraelihiphopinearly2000s. song ofthesamename. The framingofexileand itsretaliatorystanceofpowerpervademuch no othercountry” (Einlieretz acheret) isadirectcitationofGali Atari’s well-known1998pop course ofexileinIsraelipopularsong(seeRegevandSeroussi 2004). The recurringline “I have ity totheOther. The finallineofthethirdverseoffersanintertextualreferencetoalargerdis- absolve orlegitimizevirtuallyanyactionsdeemednecessaryto banishfearofandvulnerabil- options, thediscourseofexilemaybeeffectivelyemployed todefinethenation, andtofurther of lifeunderconstantthreatviolenceandterror. Without choices, withouthope, without This excerptfromthethirdverseandchorusisapowerfulcommentaryonprecariousness Subliminal’s single, “I’m LivingDaytoDay” offersanexcellentexampleofthisphenomenon. Typically, theyinvolveexpressionsofprofoundinstability, loss, andthe precariousnessoflife. relations betweenselfandother(Wade 2009:18). threat, adanger. Hereinliesviolence’sproductivecapacitytoshaperegimesofknowledgeand It isessentiallya “we” thatisatrisk, thatisdependent, thatisvulnerable, anda “you” whoisa sense ofcommunityandnationbybringingtotheforetheseveryrelationaltiesdependency. of thisvulnerability. Yet intheprocess, collectiveexperiencesofviolenceengenderaprofound and effortstomasterourfundamentalvulnerabilitytheoutsideworld. Violence remindsus nation-state. Contemporaryformsofnationalsovereigntyarefoundedinnotionsprotection imized, self-evident, evencommonsensical, whenarticulatedwithinadiscourseofexileandthe where statepowerisnonexistent, throughanticolonialmilitancy. These impulsesbecomelegit- rise totheimpulserestoreorder, safety, andcontrolthroughanexertionofstatepoweror, ability totheOtherismostexposedinoftenterrifyingways, collectivegriefandfearoftengive 2. Within contextsofheightenedviolence, trauma, andmourning, inwhichourmutualvulner Onstage duringaconcertin Tel Aviv inthefallof2002Subliminalembodiedbothcauseand Falling andnotseeingtheendofabyss(Subliminal2001) Everyone isdrowninginadream I liveinacountrywithoutpeace Ask mewherewegottogo, wegotnowhere I’m livingdayto I havenoothercountry And justthetuneresides Tomorrow willbeheresoon The clockdoesnotstop And nothinghaschanged A daypassesanothercomes I don’tgoanywhere I’m livingdayto Discursive effortstoarticulatetheanxietiesofnationalvulnerabilitytakevariousforms. Unless noted, translation of all lyrics are my otherwise own. 2 - Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 75 (2003). (Screenshot by David McDonald) David by (Screenshot (2003). Figure 3. Subliminal (Kobi Shimoni) onstage in Tel Aviv in 2002, from from 2002, in Aviv Tel in onstage Shimoni) (Kobi Subliminal 3. Figure Rage of Channels

His sidekick, Shadow, offered offered Shadow, His sidekick, I wish you could come down, Dear God, Because I’m being persecuted My enemies are united, They want to destroy me enough! nurturing and arming our haters, We’re Divide and conquer (Subliminal 2002) united we stand divided we fall Hey, Once again the pavement is painted red The heart of man is silenced And the blood flows to the sea constipated reality, A shitty world, 2002) Dying to live but living to die (Subliminal DAM’s most popular singles off their 2006 album find a very similar strategy in one of We them sadness leaving behind All the ships are sailing, That’s drowning our hearts Again we are unwanted guests in our home But our destiny is to stay physically close to our lands While being spiritually far away from our nation are dying slowly We Who cares about us? Controlled by a Zionist democratic government! Because it’s denying my existence my people my history and Still blind to my colors, a more aggressive approach, approach, a more aggressive up and down pacing angrily While Subliminal the stage. Shadow’s remained controlled, became vocal exclamations He screams. and yells, growls, sets, hyped the crowd between intro- feet, got everyone on their played and duced each song, counterpoint to Subliminal’s If poetry. well-crafted verses of Shadow Subliminal is the mind, devel- His overly is the body. a oped musculature becomes as he powerful sign of strength biceps, displays his immense and back for the neck, chest, There is a sense of rage in crowd. the way Shadow throws his arms, Playing off of his well-publicized experience serv- and shadowboxes onstage. pounds his chest, If Subliminal Shadow’s embodiment of military strength is apparent. ing in the Israeli elite forces, embodied the Shadow constant threat of violence, gave voice to the precariousness of life under “Divide and Conquer”: From Subliminal’s solution: strength of the body and body politic. And from “Biladi”: loss of Mahmoud Jrere speaks of a pervasive “Stranger in My Own Country,” In Dedication. alienated from his nation: hope and despair living as an unrecognized minority in Israel, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

76 David A. McDonald soundscape. As he onceexplainedittome, For Nafar, rappingin HebrewisameansofcompellingrecognitionintheIsraelipopular larized byOrnaandMosheDatzinthe1991Eurovisionsong contest(McDonald2009a:123). the widelypopularIsraeliJewishanthemofsamename “Kan Noladeti” (BornHere)popu- 2003). Likewise, NafarcomposedhisHebrew-language hit “Born Here” incounterpointwith me makingmusicisfine, but... Iusemusicasa means. Mygoalistorelayamessage” (Halachmi stand Arabic... in Arabic Subliminalexplained, “Because thepeoplewhoaresupposedtounderstandit, under code switchinginmakingtheseclaims. Asked why hechosetocomposethefinallineof “Biladi” language forSubliminal), itisnotcoincidentalthateach artiststrategicallyemploysadegreeof Other. Although HebrewisnotaforeignlanguagetoNafar(while Arabic certainlyisaforeign fada, wefindverysimilarrhetoricalstrategiesandtactics forassertingtheselfinrelationto Nafar speaksoutagainstIsraelieffortstomarginalizePalestinianhistoryandculture: fashion Tamer Nafarmakesanidenticalclaiminhissong, “Born Here.” RappinginHebrew, a directchallengetothenationalOther: “This ismylandandthiscountry.” Inasimilar and otherareconceptualizedfromwithinthisdiscourse. Shiftingto Arabic, Subliminalmakes final taglineofthechorusoffersimportantinsightintowaysinwhichengagementsself scend theprimaryaxisofIsraeliintelligibilityanditsimperativesforgatheringexiles. The came here.” However, theredemptionofexilecanneverbefullyrealized:todosowouldtran- tal questionsofsubjectivityfromwithinthediscourseexileandnation-state: specifically intermsofterritoryorplace. InSubliminal’s “Biladi” thechorusanswersfundamen- Building fromfeelingsoffear, loss, andgrief, SubliminalandDAM oftenasserttheiridentities ment, precariousness, unfulfillednationalsubjectivity, andanintensedesireforrecognition. house]. They saythisisademocracy, Jrere2009). butit’sonlyademocracyforJews” ( one hearsus[PalestinianIsraelis]eventhoughthisisourland. Nowwe’reguests[inourown discussed hisapproachtothissong: “It’s aboutnotbeingheard, beingbrainwashed[...]No his response. Backstagebeforea2009performanceinRichmond, Indiana, forexample, Jrere approach emphasizesnuance. OurinterviewswerealwaysprovocativeasInevercouldpredict formance. Hisbodymovesslylyonstage. And incomparisontohisDAM companions, his Jrere hasdevelopedareputationforsubtletyandcleverness. Hisvoicerarelyelevatesinper strategies ashisJewishcounterparts. Howeverhispersonalstyleofperformanceisunique. Jrere’s criticismoftheIsraelistatebuildsuponsimilarthemesandemploys going tobeheard. (Nafar2005;emphasis added) to mymessage. They needtoknowthatI’mhere, thatI’mnotgoing anywhere.I’m That to listen. Theycan’tdismissme ; eveniftheydon’tlikewhatI am saying, theyhavetolisten Jews arenotmyaudience;they aremytarget. And ifIraptothem inHebrewtheyhave If Ilookoutintotheaudience and seeoneJew, IwillrapinHebrew. Idothisbecause In interpretingeachoftheseartists’attemptstoconfronttheviolenceal-Aqsainti- You willnotsevermefrommyroots. (DAM 2006) I wasbornhere, mygrandfatherwasbornhere. Enough, enoughgentlemen. Subliminal’s assertionofidentityrestsuponanethicsredeemedexile. “I amhereandI Hadi Ardi vinaBiladi[Arabic: This ismylandandthiscountry]. (Subliminal2002) I amhereandcamehere, [Hebrew]: Who amI? What amI? Where didIcomefrom? In eachcasetheseartistsarticulatetheirpositionfromwithinadiscourseofnationaldetach- That doesn’trepresentthem(DAM 2006) So thattheygrowupinareality Brain-washing mychildren Biladi va Ardi arewordsthatunderstoodinanydialectof Biladi Arabic... Ifit’supto rhetorical - - Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 77 - \ around his neck and shoulders. His shoulders. ya around his neck and (2011) are more influenced by techno and

In the years since this “nationalist turn” in Israeli hip hop both Subliminal and DAM have in Israeli hip hop both Subliminal and DAM “nationalist turn” In the years since this pursuing Subliminal has also moved away from the nationalist songs of his early career, Despite these similarities, it is nevertheless important to point out that there are key differ it is nevertheless important to point out that there are Despite these similarities, - being recog with being heard, artists is most concerned how each of these It is fascinating ences in the ways that each of these artists conceptualized national identity. While Subliminal conceptualized national identity. ences in the ways that each of these artists Israeli nation-state in terms of religion and the seemed to demarcate the boundaries of the from within Nafar sought to articulate his subversive poetics redemption of a Zionist narrative, was not specifically the establishment of a Palestinian His project as an Israeli citizen. the state, of his full but rather the acknowledgement state, state or the disestablishment of the Israeli and the reconceptualization of the Israeli national status as an Israeli (of Palestinian ancestry) the redemption of his For Nafar, Jewish and non-Jewish. narrative to include all of its citizens, symme- Nevertheless, expense of the Israeli state. Palestinian identity need not come at the Each of these into symmetries in consequence. tries in sentiment do not necessarily translate understood and experienced fields of power. artists made his claims from within differentially Nafar has been while for articulating his position, was never arrested for example, Subliminal, for political dissent. routinely subjected to arrest and police surveillance album in 2006 along with a series first studio of DAM’s The release gone their separate ways. generated performance opportunities on college of successful documentaries about the group by 2008 the America: Europe and North campuses and among solidarity groups throughout the dialec- Leaving for international audiences. group had begun performing almost exclusively does little to acknowledge the problematics of their Israeli DAM tics of racial politics behind, insofar However, simply as dispossessed Palestinians. they tout themselves Instead, citizenship. conflict has afforded the group sustained media as their affiliation with the Israeli/Palestinian in many ways it has also overdetermined Rolling Stone, including multiple spreads in attention, struggles to break free of the expectations of resis- DAM Today, their public persona as artists. desire to branch out into the mainstream as commercial and has stated many times their tance, on the Moon, moves in that direction by sidestepping titled Dabke Their newest album, artists. the proj- Nafar describes Tamer hardline politics and focusing more on diffuse social issues. [...] I’m not But it’s more to do with social affairs. That attitude. “Still a fuck you thing. ect as, are so influenced We ashamed to admit that we are not doing underground music anymore [...] we are not claiming to the beats, When it comes to the music, commercial stuff. by pop music... (in Collard 2011). to be hardcore” When Just His studio albums, collaborative projects with international DJs outside of Israel. (2006) and Jew-Niversal Over Was Thought It You T-shirt depicts a stone-throwing child with the caption underneath, “Terrorist?” In each case “Terrorist?” child with the caption underneath, depicts a stone-throwing T-shirt reg- that pass through them, environment fashions spaces and the bodies the aesthetics of the The national identity. to be Palestinian and/or Israeli as a performative ulating what it means of exilic imaginings of the self in by the Other is a fundamental desire compulsion to be heard becomes a political statement sub- even national existence itself, which national recognition, jected to intense scrutiny and doubt. nized, in the eyes of the national Other. Their attempts at crossing linguistic lines are not to at crossing linguistic Their attempts Other. the eyes of the national in nized, onto thoughts and ideas of forcing their as a means of assault, but rather difference, transcend desire to the Onstage, limited to language alone. is by no means This assault foreign audiences. stra- signs are Nationalist itself. aesthetics of the performance is manifest in the be recognized - vocal and instrumen which utilize music, beats of the in the precomposed tegically deployed The flags and and political song. protest, long established history of folk, tal sampling from the And in the various ways in stage issue a call for national recognition. banners that adorn the signs of national the performance, interact within the spaces of which the bodies of participants often lifts his golden Star Subliminal the meanings of the lyrics. identity serve to reinforce Israeli sports paraphernalia. to his temple for dramatic effect and wears of David necklace up black-and-white checkered kuffıNafar wraps a Palestinian Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

78 David A. McDonald rogated asaperformativeconstruct. goes unmarked, anirreducibleprerequisiteofthesubject, takenforgranted, ratherthaninter of whichitisacitation. The discourseofthenation, astheprimarymeansofsubjectivity, then in suchawayastoreifythedifferencesbetweenselfandother, andthenationalistframework are narrationsofthenationalselfinfirst person . The experienceofviolencewasproffered However, eachbegantheirstorywiththeexperienceofviolenceinflictedupon “we.” These employed hiphopasaforumfornarratingtheirexperiencesofgrief, trauma, andcollectivefear. Nafar andSubliminalassertedfundamentalclaimsofselfotherthroughtheirmusic. Each study itseemsappropriatetoidentifyacommondiscursivepositionfromwhichboth Tamer means ofmakingone’scareer, maynotbethebestwaytosustainit. recording careers. Butbothhavecometotherealizationthathardlinepolitics, whileapowerful were abletosuccessfullyridethewaveofnationalismduringintifadayearsintosuccessful appears asifthe “nationalist turn” inIsraelihiphophasrunitscourse. DAM andSubliminal commercial ventures, developingafashionlineandmediaproductioncompany. Ineachcaseit electronica thanhiphopandR&B. As ahiphopimpresario, Subliminalhaspursuedseveral cognizant ofthevulnerabilityOtherandfragility lifeitself: the Other’slifeaboveandbeyondone’sown. Inorder to fullymeetthisobligation, onemustbe To fullyrespondtotheOtherisrecognizeOther, toseekjustice, toberesponsiblefor respond. This obligationisthefoundationofwhat Levinastermedan “ethics ofresponsibility.” In realizingthefaceofOtherweareruptured, interrupted, heldhostagetotheobligation tion totheself, butratherliesoutsideoftheselfdemandingaresponse: accomplice insuchadeath. HeretheOther, imaginedintheface, is not definedsimplyinrela- alone” (inLevinasandKearney1986:23–24). Itisasiftodosowouldimplicatetheselfan looking throughandexposingdeath[...]thefaceisOtherwhoasksmenottolethimdie poses thenotionof “face”: “Not infrontofme, butaboveme;itistheOtherbeforedeath, mutual recognition, reciprocalexchange, andanintimateengagement. ity andfeararenottobevanquishedthroughstatepower, butareratherthestarting pointsfor nation-state, nestedwithinanethicsofasharedhumanvulnerability. Inthissense, vulnerabil- as Ienvisionit, involvesaconceptualtranspositionofbelongingbeyondtheterritoriallydefined change, theEmergence Travel Agency (ETA). Incontrasttothediscourseofexile, emergence, tional Israeli/AmericanhiphopartistInvincible(Ilana Weaver) andherrecentprojectforsocial nonviolent hermeneuticbasedintheconceptofemergence. Iborrowthisconceptfrombina- As acorrectivetothediscourseofexileIofferspeculativediscussionandexplorationnew, Discourses ofEmergence Although therearemanyotherexamplesthatcouldbediscussed, forthepurposeofthis (in LevinasandKearney1986:23–24) mized intheethicaledict:you shall notkill, youshallnotjeopardizethelifeofOther. question. Inethics, theOther’srighttoexisthasprimacyovermyown, a primacyepito- myself tothevulnerabilityof faceistoputmyontologicalrightexistenceinto vive byitselfalone, cannot findmeaningwithinitsownbeingintheworld[...]toexpose My ethicalrelationoflovefor the Otherstemsfromfactthatselfcannotsur ning, decisionorinitiativeonmypart. (inMoran 2000:139) into thefaceofOtherthatrevealscalltoaresponsibility thatisbeforeanybegin- from whichthereisnoescape, aresponsibility, andastateofbeinghostage. Itislooking world isruptured, mycontentmentinterrupted. I amalreadyobligated. Hereisanappeal a saying, whichcomesinthepassivityofface, notthreatening, butobligating. My The humanfaceistheepiphanyofnakednessOther, avisitation, meeting, Theorizing thisstruggleforrecognitionandtheengagementofselfother, Levinas pro- - - Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 79 - - - Along with the 3 (2008), and a host of under (2008),

See, for example, Gaines (2010) and The Top 13 (2010). Top The and (2010) Gaines example, for See, [ETA] reveals the connections between people and places by creating media that resists reveals the connections [ETA] denial obstruction of movement, occupation, colonization, gentrification, displacement, check- is beyond borders, ETA and denial of the right to return. of the right to leave, immigration application processes. passports and dehumanizing deportations, points, Agency 2010) (Emergence Travel the impor both as a testament to on the artist, That simple response had a profound impact In the work of Invincible’s Emergence Travel Agency project, we may in fact find traces of we may in fact find Agency project, Travel Emergence In the work of Invincible’s 3. , Invincible created a multimedia performance/activism web portal called , release of Shapeshifters and commentary sur links, where she presents music videos, Agency, Travel the Emergence In describing the project Invincible writes: rounding her work. “we can all travel or and it will continue until she states, begins online,” is a journey that “ETA of this project is her independently released sin- The centerpiece stay where our hearts desire.” it One of two songs she recorded to protest the Israeli occupation, “People Not Places.” gle, the artist had with her mother about nostalgia begins with a recording of a phone conversation After a do you ever miss people back home?” “Hey Ima, Invincible asks, for their Israeli home. people...not places.” “I miss long pause her mother replies,

ground mixtapes and collaborations. She was recently recognized along with Lauryn Hill, Jean Hill, She was recently recognized along with Lauryn ground mixtapes and collaborations. and Queen Latifah as one of the top five female rappers of all time. Grae, - who emigrated to the US in her ado An Israeli in practice. responsibility” “ethics of Levinas’s of the Detroit hip hop scene, of 15 Invincible had become a mainstay by the age lescence, minority disenfran- for social activism on myriad issues: gentrification, developing a reputation in Detroit-based rappers in the late Riding a wave of interest rights. and GLBTQ chisement, to make her she turned down several lucrative recording contracts from labels hoping 1990s, hip hop Instead she decided to found her own fair-trade into a female counterpart to Eminem. and distributes her work inde- produces, she records, through which Emergence Media, label, Shapeshifters major album, She has since released one pendently. This fundamental demand of the face begets an ethics of the precariousness of life whereby the of life whereby of the precariousness face begets an ethics demand of the This fundamental not claim is Levinas’s fundamental self. to the needs of the Other are paramount needs of the self is contin- very existence of the but that the for the Other, ethics of responsibility simply an a primary relation with It is only through this engagement. and developed through gent upon that the “first philosophy,” or refers to as metaphysics what Levinas to the Other, and response enables that which most fundamental reality, It is the 2011:4). knowable (Morgan self becomes the face we do more than simply For in the moment we address else. and grounds everything to exist in the very moment of “in some way we come of the Other; acknowledge the existence Levinas recognizes the epistemological being recognized (Butler 2004:130). being addressed,” the obli- the call, to the presence, establish the self without first attending problem of efforts to - the seminal act of awareness and the actualiza Here recognition becomes gation of the Other. which all else is built. tion of the self upon tance of life’s personal relationships and to Israel’s ongoing displacement of the indigenous tance of life’s personal relationships and to Israel’s ongoing displacement of the indigenous Invincible explains that she began to feel, Thinking of that history, Palestinian population. not prioritize that connection between and to “what a privilege it was to not miss that place, this brief conversation elic- ways, In many Agency 2010). Travel (Emergence people and places” from the dominant Israeli nationalist discourse of exile an emergence ited a sense of liberation, Nostalgia for and its compelled redemption rooted in the territorially defined nation-state. of Jewish and Israeli identity were here fashioned and its linkages to imaginings “back home” forged within essential practices of people, relationships, in the image of the communal self, and sociality. vulnerability, human dependency, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

80 David A. McDonald

public spectacleandgriefcreatesapowerfulsiteforthefashioning ofpolitical instead assertsacommonvulnerabilityinJewishandPalestinian lives. The combinationof ognized, orunheard. 1948 Palestine, Invinciblequestionsthetacticsthroughwhichsuchclaimsgounnoticed, unrec- existence oftheOther. InrecognizingPalestinianclaimstolegalpropertyownership inpre– lacious tropeof “a landwithoutapeople, forapeoplewithoutland” bydisavowingthevery state theyareunrecognizable, nonentities. Suchamaneuverallowsforandevensustainsthefal- not thatPalestiniansarepoorlyrecognized, butthatwithinthediscourseofIsraelination- sustain adiscoursethatlimitstheintelligibilityofnon-JewishlivesandvoicesinIsrael. Itis ship nation-state. ForInvincibletheLawofReturn a dislocation(relocation)ofJewishsubjectivitywithintheterritoriallydefinedanddefended tion andexclusionconstitutethebodypoliticthroughadisavowalofPalestinianpresence other intheelusiveandillusorydesirefornationalsecurity. Statemechanismsofrepresenta- “nobody enterswithbombs,” yetinsodoingthestateindexicallydefinesandaffirmsself indigenous Palestinianvillagesuponwhichtheairportisbuilt. Statesecurityensuresthat state power(flags, borders, customs, identificationpapers, bodysearches), theyfailtoseethe young participantsinthe10-dayeducationalprogramaregreetedwithtrappingsofIsraeli posters torevealandrecognizealatentPalestinianpresenceperspective. each stoponthetoursheexposesnationalistpropaganda, literallypeelingbackstate-sponsored recruiter, andaquestioningyoung American Jewseekingtouncovertherecruiter’sagenda. tional BirthrightIsraeltour, wheretheartistportraystwoleadcharacters:Birthrighttour orating the60thanniversaryofPalestinianal-Nakba(catastrophe). The songdepictsafic- video projectentitledPeople NotPlaces(2010), aspartofaninternationalartexhibitcommem - 4. Following this, Invinciblemovesbeyondmererecognition ofnon-Jewishpresenceand It wasn’tapogrom, itwastheruinsofDeir Yassin (Invincible2008) Houses burntwithkerosene, massgraves, couldn’t bearthescene Walking outside, inthedistance, sawaghost throwingaMolotov First stop, MuseumoftheHolocaust Invincible’s harshcritiquestrikesattheveryheartofIsraelinationalistnarrative. As (Invincible 2008) But Iseeamanstandingwithkeyanddeedinhishand A landwithoutapeopleforland? All Jews, LawofReturn, Idon’tseemtounderstand Recent historyburied, butitspeaksthroughthesand Never mentionthreevillagesthattheairportison For theBirthright Tour I’mon Blue whiteflags Strict searchmakesurenobodyenterswithbombs Touch down —Ben-Gurion Prepare fortakeoff Building uponthisconversationInvinciblesettoworkona12-minutedocumentary/music move to Israel permanently (Birthright Israel 1999). inspire a sense of Israeli identity and belonging among young American Jews in the hopes of encouraging them to and connection to the Jewish people. But perhaps the program’s greatest goal, and strength, lies in its capacity to to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen participants’ personal Jewish identity 18–26 as a means to diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; According to its website, Birthright Israel provides 10-day educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults aged — and thedenialofPalestinianrepatriation, thecornerstoneofIsraelinationalidentity, — the rightofallJewstogainIsraelicitizen- communities 4 At Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 81 building, building, wearing (see Stern whose fates — “never to forget man’s “never to forget man’s — \ ya. As Sabreena emerges from beneath the poster, As Sabreena emerges from beneath the poster, ya. the victims and the victims of those victims Although no markers, plaques, or memorials pay tribute to or memorials pay tribute plaques, Although no markers, 5 — and yet the voices of those who perished at Deir Yassin a mere several Yassin at Deir and yet the voices of those who perished —

The Palestinian village of Deir Yassin was depopulated on 9 April 1948 by Jewish paramilitary groups. For furtherFor Jewish paramilitary groups. by 1948 April 9 on depopulated was Yassin Deir of village Palestinian The (2004). Morris and (2006) destructionits to up leading Pappe see events historical the on reading In making this claim Invincible seems less concerned with diminishing the foundational Invincible seems less concerned with diminishing In making this claim Upon visiting Deir Yassin with her aged grandmother, one of the few surviving residents of one of the few surviving with her aged grandmother, Yassin Upon visiting Deir irony is shamelessly mocking me as I I can’t help but feel as though the overwhelming where a massacre took place Yassin, in Deir Vashem Yad stand there on the other side of I stood there honoring those whose names don’t appear in a museum, 62 years ago. legacies are insolently and whose heard in the media, if ever, whose voices are rarely, so many rendering them invisible to classrooms, ignored and omitted from textbooks and if those who visit the museum look over to the I wonder Standing there, in the world. they whether or not there some 60 years ago, other side and even know what occurred for their and whether or not they feel any sympathy like they do question what happened, for it is not just the story of a massacre, carries with it such magnitude, Yassin Deir own. but the story of two peoples allowed them to be conjoined on stolen land. (Elmuti 2010) allowed them to be conjoined on stolen land. offers an opportunity to redress the unintelli- or chorus of Invincible’s song, “hook,” The 5. this ethnically cleansed village, upon exiting the Children’s Memorial at Yad Vashem visitors Vashem Yad Memorial at upon exiting the Children’s village, this ethnically cleansed For those who recognize absence. its with a panoramic view of its ruins, are directly confronted of strate- becomes an instrument Vashem Yad seeing, know what they aren’t who this absence, larger dis- and a citation of the other, a means to shape perceptions of self and gic intelligibility, nation-state. course of exile and the than with forg- the Israeli state, in imaginings of Jewish identity and position of the Holocaust and trauma may be recog- within which shared experiences of suffering ing a rhetorical space desire for ethno-national purity. of nationalist projects motivated by the nized among all victims are confronted with a timeless edict visitors Vashem, Yad Throughout inhumanity to man” even should) It is not merely that these two events need (or hundred meters away go unheard. suffering have been ceaselessly debated in both The mechanics of quantifying be compared. geographic proximity and given their But rather, Palestinian and Israeli nationalist literatures. the conventional practice of not inhumanity, the larger structural framing of man’s unbounded strategic citation of a larger dis- needs to be understood as a particularly Yassin Deir “seeing” of national intelligibility whereby Palestinians are unrecog- a discourse “seeing,” course of not nizable nonentities. not seeing in Dina Elmuti reflects quite beautifully on the poetics of the depopulated village, Israel/Palestine:

and nation- of Holocaust remembrance as a powerful site Vashem, Yad Here, 2009). the depopulated to the site of of place given its proximity mapping offers a transgressive Yassin. Deir Palestinian village of (Patraka 1999). This particular verse, inspired by the April 2009 firing of Itamar Shapira from firing of Itamar Shapira April 2009 by the inspired verse, This particular (Patraka 1999). the the Holocaust with the traumas of for comparing Vashem Yad tour guide at his job as a by asserting a quasi- extends this perspective during 1948, by Palestinians traumas experienced al-nakba and victims of victims of the Holocaust of suffering between symmetry Invincible sings: gibility of Palestinians in the Israeli national imaginary. Here Invincible stands before a poster Here Invincible stands gibility of Palestinians in the Israeli national imaginary. a single airplane is pitted against a pale blue sky In it, advertisement for the Birthright tour. stretched across Yourself” Discover Off to Ben-Gurion: Discover Israel, “Take with the words the poster Invincible peels it back to reveal the image Standing in front of the upper margins. (Abeer al-Zinaty) Witch Sabreena da fellow rapper of a young Palestinian woman, a traditional Palestinian thawb and kuffı Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021 by David McDonald) 82 David A. McDonald singing from behind the poster’s frame in Figure 4. Invincible (Ilana Weaver) with Sabreena da Witch (Abeer al-Zinaty) spatial, cultural, and temporaldistances. ate Palestinianswithinacontemporary Israeliimaginary, concomitantlyservesonly toreinforce contact withoneanother. Itwouldseemthatthisattempt tohumanizePalestinians, tositu- but sheremainscaptiveinthe frame, isolated, anddistant. Neverdothe twoartistscomeinto the enclosedspacesofposter’sframe. Oncetheposter ispeeledbackweseeandhearher, the gaze, andarelicofnationalistconsequence. Finally, herpresenceinthevideoexistsonly as theyoung, cosmopolitan, feministthatsheis, butrather, asanartifactofhistory, anobjectof rounded byiconographicsignsofPalestinianhistoryandresistance, Sabreenaisportrayednot voice isrenderedforeign, other. Likewise, dressedinatraditionalPalestiniangown, thawb, sur however. Inthechorus, asInvinciblepeelsbackaBirthrightposterimploringitsaudienceto tory, anddismantlingZionistmyth. This recognitionofPalestinianpresencehasitslimits, project ofre-membering, recognizingPalestinianpresence, reorientingIsraelinationalhis- in Arabic: thawb, poster amongvariousiconographicsignsofPalestinianhistory, politics, andresistance(kuffı The secondhalfofthechorusisthensungbySabreena, situatedbehindtheframeof Responding tomycriticismin one ofourinterviews, Sabreenadisagreed. Invincible strategicallyoperationalizesPalestiniandifferenceintheserviceofherlarger living withinus?](Invincible2008) Not tomissanation Remember andtellmehow Before youcameandreplacedit [Remember thenamesofourcities mash taqla‘wa≥tan ’aysh fı Idhikr wa qu\lı Qabal mayatı Idhikr isma‘al-biladna\ You’ll neverbeapeacefulstatewithlegaldisplacement(Invincible2008) The policiesareevilandracist, deceitfulandheinous Has sheseenthetownswithnamesin Arabic theHebrewreplaces? My Ima[mother]missespeoplenotplaces Kalishnakov rifle, microphone). Shiftingregister, thevoiceof “unrecognized” sings jı \ \ qulı \ wa badilha\ \ kayf People Not Places na\ \ (2010). (Screenshot in Israel, itispeculiarthather ognize thePalestinianpresence of thissongistorevealandrec- and Arabic. Giventhatthepoint fully fluentinEnglish, Hebrew, prominent hiphopartistherself, Sabreena da Witch, isavery ing giventhattheperformer, This isparticularlyinterest- ing withherthroughlanguage. and arepreventedfromconnect- read herwordsintranslation, Arabic, theaudiencecanonly Because Sabreenaissingingin her her distance, herdifference, young Palestinianwoman, but discover Israel, sherevealsthe foreign-ness ismaintained. ya, \ - Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 83 that

— (2010). (Screenshot by by (Screenshot (2010). Americans Israelis and especially — People Not Places Places Not People Figure 5. Invincible (Ilana Weaver) as a Birthright Israel tour tour Israel Birthright a as Weaver) (Ilana Invincible 5. Figure in recruiter, David McDonald) David - - - people —

Although I’m trilingual and can communicate in my music with all three languages I and can communicate in my music with Although I’m trilingual

In each instance, conflicting depictions of Jewish and Palestinian identity are proffered as a conflicting depictions In each instance, The idea of the chorus was to remind people the chorus was to remind The idea of language and cos- was a culture and there before [19]48, nation on the land there was a the listener with Arabic provides chorus in Singing the That they are still there. tumes. her verses Ilana In and cancel. so hard to erase Zionists are attempting the voice that Arabic names to were changed from cities and towns that mentions names of [Invincible] that the listener will Arabic so but in says the same thing and the chorus Hebrew names, of colonialism. the language that is being erased as a policy have a chance to hear I language and dialect. to speak of Palestine in the Palestinian find it always most suitable as the mind their minds, closer to the listener and it challenges believe it brings Palestine hope is that the listener will The a foreign language is being heard. is more active when This way they will said. put an effort to understand what is being feel the meaning or will 2011) Witch (Sabreena da a political statement. learn more than just of Palestinian resis- what might be considered essentialist iconography In addition to using ically mocks both Zionism and Birthright for comedic effect, and is intended to contrast with and is intended to for comedic effect, ically mocks both Zionism and Birthright in Later, American Jew (Invincible 2011). a young progressive her other persona in the video, fellow rap- Sabreena’s Palestinian folk-indigeniety contrasts with the third verse and chorus, As Sabreena holds rigid clothes and mannerisms. per Suheil Nafar’s contemporary urban street his body Suheil moves naturally, posing with microphone and turntable, postures of resistance, and jeans) and gestures of urban hip hop. assuming the typical fashion (oversized hoodie These depictions depicted. “real people” means of historicizing and humanizing the so-called humanizing both become a brilliant semiological tool of identification among her audiences, each struggling to negotiate competing dis- Jews and Palestinians as progressive and urban, courses of modernity and the nation-state. who are questioning, seeking, seeking, who are questioning, the For example, and suffering. per Birthright tour recruiter, appears in formed by Invincible, curly a periwinkle leisure suit, and baseball thick glasses, wig, The recruiter smiles con- cap. to the point of awk- stantly, with arms wide in a wardness, welcoming This “used embrace. characteriza- car salesman” satir as Invincible calls it, tion, tance, Invincible further plays with representations of Israeli Jewish identity. Stereotypes of Jewish identity. plays with representations of Israeli Invincible further tance, both Israelis and Palestinians and are strategically performed, call atten- by their contrast, por “real people” tion to the trayed in the video At each phase of the Birthright tour, Invincible attempts to evacuate nationalist meaning to At each phase of the Birthright tour, “[this song] Sabreena adds that, allow for a recognition of Palestinian history and presence. we do not usu- [...] It showcases a voice politically and socially. offers a different point of view, In my read- 2011). Witch (Sabreena da music scene” American ally hear [...] in the Israeli and movement beyond the entrenched discourses of exile this song is truly transgressive in its ing, a nuanced satire of Birthright and many of the founding More than merely and the nation-state. Empathy, Emergence, and the Post-Nation Emergence, Empathy, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

84 David A. McDonald turning towards internationalmusicscenesand markets Tamer Nafarandhis DAM cohorthave of subalternempowermentoutside thediscoursesofexileandnation-state. Likewise, in under intolerantpatriarchy(Sabreena da Witch 2010). national anxietiesbyspeakingout againstthe “internal occupations” feltbyall women living to radicalre-imagination. Sabreenada Witch, forexample, releasedanalbumthatdisplaces ing DAM, InvinciblehasbegunaprocesswhereinconceptionsofIsraelandPalestineareopen affiliation. Nevertheless, intouringNorth Americawithseveralotherhiphopartists, includ- state, giventhatithashistoricallybeenthecornerstone ofPalestinianculturalpracticeand cult forPalestinianhiphopartiststopublicallyabandonthequest foranindependentnation- political environmentinwhichtomaketheseclaims. Likewise, itwouldbeperhapsmorediffi- 2008:3). Performingexclusivelyin America, itseemsInvincibleisaffordedamoremalleable interview withjournalistRachelSwan; “[they] prettymuch cutmeoffformyviews” (inSwan itary serviceinIsrael. “Most ofmyfamilyinIsrael refusestospeakme,” sheadmitsinan music sceneeventhoughsongscallingforanendtotheoccupation arenotuncommon. Israeli JewishrappershasrevealedthatInvinciblehadvery littleimpactintheIsraelipop public sphere. Preliminaryresearchinalbumsales, radioplaylists, andinformaldiscussionswith participating intheBirthrightprogram, IwonderifthereisspaceforthismessageintheIsraeli American youth, orperhapsmorespecifically, young AmericanJewswhomaybeconsidering tion thatwasaskedbutneveransweredinourinterviews. Giventhatherprimaryaudienceis der ifshewouldbewillingtoperformthissonginIsrael, orinaHebrewtranslation:ques- encountered agreatdealofresistancefromZionistorganizationsintheUS. Onemightwon- vulnerability oftheself: “You’ll neverbeapeacefulstatewithlegaldisplacement.” rather attendstotheviolenceandvulnerabilityofOther, insymmetricaldialogue withthe story oftheexperienceviolencenotwithactionscommittedagainstcommunal “we,” but foundly implicatedinthelivesofothers. And perhapsmostimportantly, Invinciblebeginsthe spective ofitsOthers, itsvictims, revealinginvividdetailthewayswhichIsraelilivesarepro- the firstperson. Rather, sheexplicitlyrecountstheIsraelinationalistnarrativefromper tivity fromtheterritorialityofplace. Second, sheresiststhetemptationtonarrateselffrom many ofwhichareeasilyseeninthisparticularhiphopsong. First, Invincibledetachessubjec- seek thisrecognition. within thatmutualstruggleforrecognition, tobetrulyseenasfragile, vulnerablebeings. We all gence seekstodislocateusfromourentrenchedsubjectpositions, bysituatingselfandother “awakeness totheprecariousnessofOther.” What Ihavelabeledhereadiscourseofemer of theOther, thenitwouldfollowthatalastingpeacemightonlyarrivethroughan empathic et al. 1996:167). Iftheselfcannotsurvive “by itselfalone,” withouttherecognition, theaddress, Other. ForLevinaspeacearisesinthe “awakeness totheprecariousnessofOther” (Peperzak self withinaprimaryprocessofengagementwithandattendingtothevulnerability Each ofthesewritersprivilegespeopleoverplace, andtakesradicalstepstoconceptualizethe for justice:toprivilegepeopleoverplace. Inasimilarvein, Levinaswrites: implores heraudiencetoawakenthelifeofOther, toseeherfaceandresponditscall alizing difference. Although situatedinthedialecticsofJewishandPalestinianexile, Invincible myths ofZionism, “People NotPlaces” isanexerciseinrethinking, reframing, andreconceptu - These newestcompositionsseem totranscendthetireddialecticsofIsrael/Palestineinfavor Despite this, Invincibleconsidersherselftobeinpolitical exile, avoidingcompulsorymil- No doubt, theseareallverydifficultstepstotake. Andintakingthem, Invinciblehas Nevertheless, themovementtowardsemergencerequiresseveraldiscursivetranspositions, ([1947] 2001:19) very existence, withthepurefactthatthereisBeing, thenakednessofthisbarefact. things whichmakeuptheworld, butisdeterminedbyarelationship, effectedinour [W]hat isessentialinhumanspiritualitydoesnotlieourrelationshipwiththe - - Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Hip Hop 85 -

nationalist when it comes to sex, to studies, to art, whatever you want. We believe in We whatever you want. to art, to studies, when it comes to sex, — 17, 1:313–37. American Ethnologist 17,

Women.” Women.” .aspx (7 March 2013). of Chicago Press. Chicago: University 223–42. Reginald Byron, ed. , Blacking John This statement exemplifies a profound transformation in DAM’s performative politics, sig- performative politics, DAM’s in This statement exemplifies a profound transformation The consequences of such an emergence are far-reaching. If the primary force shaping and If the primary force are far-reaching. The consequences of such an emergence References Through Bedouin of Power Transformation Tracing Resistance: “The Romance of 1990. Lila. Abu-Lughod, www.birthrightisrael.com/TaglitBirthrightIsraelStory/Pages/Objectives “Objectives.” 1999. Birthright Israel. of and Experience: Selected Papers Culture, In Music, and Experience.” Culture, “Music, 1995. John. Blacking, begun shifting their political stance as well. Interviewed in the Boston Globe while on a 2011 Interviewed in political stance as well. begun shifting their believe in Palestine; we believe in “we don’t Nafar was quoted as saying, American tour, North freedom in general (in Mitter 2011:C3). the idea of freedom of expression” has strategically engineered its political mes- Over time DAM naling a dynamic new approach. towards For the group to publically shift their approach sage in relation to its desired audience. dependence upon given their financial is tremendously risky, “Palestine” rather than “freedom” maybe con- “freedom” Although and organizations. local and international solidarity networks is Nafar’s statement goals of self-determination, sidered congruent with larger nationalist history of Palestinian nationalist song (McDonald surely transgressive in relation to the larger Perhaps what we are witnessing are the seeds of a new postcolonial and post- 2013). Figure 6. Graffiti on the Israeli “Security” Wall adjacent to Checkpoint 300 in 2005. (Photo by (Photo 2005. in 300 Checkpoint to adjacent Wall “Security” Israeli the on Graffiti 6. Figure David McDonald) David boundaries and the compulsions of exile and discourse of emergence that resists traditional and explores the consequences of seeing — a kind of seeing in which mutual the nation-state, connections form the foundation for con- vulnerability and shared cultural and historical can be found among the mélange of graffiti adorn- A similar sentiment ceptualizing the self. checkpoint 300, Simply scrawled in black marker just outside barriers. “security” ing Israel’s No Nations, “No Border, is the poignant message, which separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem, Fuck Occupations.” is the pervasive need to banish fear and sustaining the discourse of exile and the nation-state protection, if the nation-state is merely a machination of recognition, vulnerability to the Other, then per anxieties of the precariousness of life, and safety performatively articulated in quiet render haps an awareness of collective vulnerability to and responsibility for the Other would by attending to the primary process of address and the Perhaps, such machinations unnecessary. may find our resulting collective vulnerability a powerful we need for recognition and response, and to understand ourselves through our others. to know, place from which to emerge, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26September 2021

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33, 4:5–20. Studies 33, of Palestine Journal Israel.” Power in Palestine and 23 April:A3–4. -L102/ (7 March 2013). Palgrave York: New 15–30. Menon, Anderson and Jisha Patrick eds. Conflict, Roots and Global Routes of MacMillan. . London: I.B. Tauris. I.B. London: . History in Palestine of Dance Cultural A Raising Dust: 2010. Nicholas. Rowe, Sabreena Now Productions. Compact disc. the Influence. Under Woman A 2010. Witch. Sabreena da 11 June. with author, Correspondence 2011. Witch. Sabreena da Tauris. London: I.B. . of Representation and the Politics East/West Cinema: Israeli 2010. Ella. Shohat, Question of and the Relational History, Culture, “Popular 2004. Swedenburg. Ted and Rebecca L., Stein, Haaretz, Holocaust to Nakba.” Who Compared Fires Employee Vashem “Yad 2009. Yoav. Stern, Records. Tact and Helicon Ltd. Aviv: Tel The Light of Zion. Compact disc. 2001. Subliminal. Records. Tact and Helicon Ltd. Aviv: Tel The Light and the Shadow. 2002. Subliminal. Worlds.” “Invincible in Two Swan, Rachel. 2008. www.thetop13.com/female-mcs 30 March. 13, The Top 13: Female MCs.” Top “The 2010. 13. Top The Local Performed: In Violence of Ethical Encounter.” Violence The Trauma: “Sublime 2009. A. Leslie Wade, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00280 by guest on 26 September 2021