The rap scene is multiplying charitable projects in support of Palestinian victims

Two recent collaborative mixtapes, from the emerging French rap scene, are the latest of these musical initiatives.

An international star or a collective of more confidential artists, the world hip-hop scene has been investing in Gaza in recent months. The enclave is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis since the war broke out following the terrorist attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023. The Israeli authorities have vowed to put an end to Hamas, in power in Gaza since 2007.

These attacks “cost the lives of 1,200 people, including 37 children”, says UNICEF. “As of August 9, it is estimated that 134 people are still being held hostage, including 2 children. In Gaza,“39,699 people are believed to have been killed, including more than 14,100 children and 9,000 women” by Israeli strikes. “A child is injured or killed every ten minutes” in the enclave.

It was to a little girl that the American rapper Macklemore paid tribute last May with Hind’s Hall. The title, recalls AFP, is inspired by a building at the American University of Columbia, in New York, occupied by students in support of the Palestinians and renamed in memory of Hind Rajab. The 6-year-old Palestinian girl was killed in Gaza by Israeli fire last January. The circumstances of her death have sparked strong emotion around the world.

The American artist had then affirmed that the profits from this title swould be entirely donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), an agency whose crucial role UN Secretary-General António Guterres has constantly stressed, even though its mandate has been criticized.

In his ode to the liberation of the Palestinian territories, illegally occupied according to the International Court of Justice, Macklemore also tackles a music industry that he considers too cautious on the issue. But well before the release of Hind’s Hallthe French collective “It’s Not About Us” was preparing a big concert in Paris to support the Palestinians.

Initiated by rapper Tif, the “Palestine Solidarity” event was pleased to have brought together dozens of rappers, including Zamdane, Alpha Wann, PLK, Khali, Deen Burbigo and Soolking. “For weeks, months, years, we have been watching helplessly. the drama unfolding before our eyes in Gaza and Palestine“, the collective lamented on Instagram.

The public responded to his call: the 6,800 tickets were sold in less than ten hours. The event, which took place at the Zénith in Paris on May 22, 2024, was a success. A total of 181,390 euros were collected in a kitty intended for the NGO Medical Aid For Palestinians. The concert was recorded and broadcast on the Twitch channel of content creator Nico Colombien, now available on YouTube.

Another concert organized by the collective “Voices for Gaza” on July 1 brought together several big names in French song at La Cigale, including rapper Disiz. Ticket proceeds were also donated to the NGO Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Two more recent projects, which went unnoticed, have also seen the light of day. The first, Pray 4 Palestineis a twelve-track mixtape released on July 26 on all listening platforms. It brings together young, little-known rappers. A website was launched in parallel to sell derivative products related to the project.

The initiative aims to support the “Gaza Emergency” fund of Life ONG which has been operating in Palestine for ten years. The humanitarian organization is now facing an emergency situation where Gazans are deprived of everything: water, electricity, gas, food and medical care.

On July 31, it was the turn of the Heart Tape to be offered to the public. An idea that germinated in the mind of the Lyon artist M4tias. “Touched by the current situation in Palestine and the genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government on the Palestinian people, I wanted to give my support on my scale“, the artist wrote on Instagram.

Like Pray 4 Palestinethe young artist brings together names from emerging rap, still unknown to the general public. For a certain number of them, it is still on the SoundCloud platform that they publish their projects, hoping to become more known. Ledouble, Surprise, Samir Flynn and OG Lounis are participating in the project. The mixtape, composed of 24 tracks, reflects this new rap well with sounds enthusiastically borrowed from the world of electronic music.