#BeatsNotBombs by KATUKTU COLLECTIVE
AMIR ALMUARRI
Following in the long tradition of rappers as rebel poets, twenty-year-old Syrian rapper Amir ‘Almuarri’ (his pseudonym means ‘exposer of lies’ in Arabic) has more to rebel against than most. Coming straight outta Idlib – epicenter of the brutal Syrian war – Almuarri has lost family, friends and his home to a conflict that has ravaged his homeland since his childhood. Yet he continues fights back with the only weapon at his disposal - his music - dropping beats as others drop bombs, and making his views known with powerful lyrics characterized as much by their political venom as his trademark wordplay.
His latest track, ‘On All Fronts’, turns its fire fearlessly on all belligerents in the Syrian conflict: the local extremist groups; the Iranian-supported Syrian regime; and particularly Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which has been widely criticized for its bombing of civilian targets during the war. The track concludes by describing how the “proud spirits” of the Syrian people are being humiliated by all players in the war - an inversion of the opening line of Syria’s national anthem, that “our proud spirits refuse to be humiliated”. The video for ‘On All Fronts’ - filmed entirely in Almuarri’s native Idlib and featuring over sixty brave locals risking reprisals from local extremist forces - unexpectedly went globally viral at the end of 2019, and saw him interviewed for media from the UK to Australia and beyond.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/NNd8p8ONf2I
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmirALMUARRI
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amir_ALMUARRI
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almuarri
#OnAllFronts #BeatsNotBombs
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MARISOL
St Petersburg native Marisol has been a mainstay of the Russian underground hip-hop scene since she was 15 – one of the few women active on the scene throughout the period. Now 31, she has four albums under her belt, covering issues from life and love to politics and social justice. While her lyrical style is inspired by classic Russian literature and the early 20th century ‘silver age’ poets, the subject matter is very much of the present, often seeking to tear through the aggressive propaganda of the Russian state and speak truth to power.
'From Russia with Love and Bombs’ is a direct response to ‘On All Fronts’ by Syrian rapper Amir Almuarri - the track that unexpectedly went viral at the end of 2019, and led to Almuarri’s invitation to address (by video-link) an anti-war rally in St Petersburg where Marisol also performed. A searing expression of anger and regret at Russia’s conduct in the Syrian war (which includes the illegal targeting of civilians in Almuarri’s native Idlib), ‘From Russia...’ concludes by imploring rappers and musicians around the world to “grasp the hands of your musical sisters and brothers” in a show of solidarity with the innocent victims the conflict. The powerful video intersperses shots of Marisol performing in an abandoned power station in Berlin with real images of Russian shelling and the Syrian communities whose lives continue to be torn apart by such indiscriminate attacks.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/CLtAs2bb2BY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarisolMariya
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MariMarisol17
Jamendo: https://www.jamendo.com/artist/496327/mari-marisol
#FromRussia
Tracklist
| 1. | Amir Almuarri - On All Fronts | 3:48 |
| 2. | Marisol - From Russia with Love + Bombs | 2:58 |
