Episode 4: MAMLUK

Welcome to The Safe House Travel Diary, a travel and music podcast that explores hip hop in misunderstood places. My name is SohaI go to the safe houses of hip hop artists for intimate conversations and try to get a sense of what life is like in their corner of the world. The idea for The Safe House comes from Kendrick Lamar's lyric about "venting in the safe house." Every season I travel to a new country and immerse myself in their hip hop scene. This is Season 1: "Three Nights in Beirut" and it takes place in my Motherland: Lebanon.

The idea for The Safe House comes from Kendrick Lamar's lyric about "venting in the safe house."

WATCH

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, you can also WATCH it with the full visualizer on my YouTube Channel. You'll see my walk in Mar Mkhael, Saleh, Ziggy, and I on the motorcycle, Chyno's soundcheck (shot with permission of course) and more!

SOUNDTRACK

E4 Soundtrack. Episode 4, "MAMLUK," features interviews with Chyno and Ziggy. They represent different generations in Lebanese rap but embody the same ethos of authenticity and immersion. I hope you enjoy some of my favorites from their catalogue as well as music produced by Aladin, whose also featured in E4.

THANK YOU

• Chyno with a Why? for agreeing to sit down for an interview on one of the most busy days of his life!
• Ziggy for bringing his full self to our conversation
• Aladin for finding the W in this situation
• Saleh for being the best sidekick a girl could hope for!

LEARN MORE

Hip hop tings

• Article: How protest and resistance in Syria and Lebanon shaped a progressive rap scene
• Article: Straight Outta Syria: Meet the young refugee rappers with a message
• Documentary: 961 Underground: The Rise of Lebanese Hip Hop (2012)by DJ Lethal Skillz: The definitive documentary about the rise of Lebanese hip hop culture by the spin master himself, DJ Lethal Skillz.
• Documentary | El Arena: the award winning documentary by Soul House Media is a must watch
• El Arena YouTube channel: watch rappers from across the MENA region converge on Beirut and go head to head. Pro-tip: if you know Arabic, watch Kalach vs. Al Darwish for some heavy duty social commentary about the tension between Syrian refugees and Lebanese citizens.

The aftermath of the Beirut Port Explosion

• Video: "Walking in Mar Mikhael one Week After Beirut’s Blast"
• Video: Beirut Residents Help Clean Up Debris From Explosion
• Article: "With brooms and shovels, Lebanese volunteers show the true spirit of Beirut"
• Article: After the blast: how Beirut’s clean-up operation is exposing Lebanon’s wider state dysfunction
• Article: After Beirut explosion, Lebanese volunteers flock to help clean up

Siege on Naher al-Bared Refugee Camp

• Video: Nahr al-Bared Camp: Two Years Under Siege
• Article: Tense siege continues at Lebanon’s Nahr al-Bared refugee camp
• Article: Nahr al-Bared shelling intensifies
• Article: THE SEIGE OF NAHR AL-BARED AND THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON
• Article: Lost and found: when Shatila welcomed Nahr al-Bared

Syrian Civil War

• Article: Syria's Civil War Started A Decade Ago. Here's Where It Stands
• Video: Syrians mark 12 years of civil war with no end in sight
• Podcast: Conflicted: Syria
• Documentary: Born in Syria
• Documentary: For Sama
• Video: The Harrowing Personal Stories of Syrian Refugees, in Their Own Words

Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

• Article: Syria Refugee Crisis Explained
• Video: Displaced in Lebanon: Syrian refugees face tougher restrictions
• Article: Lebanon: Armed Forces Summarily Deporting Syrians
• Article: Lebanon’s government is squeezing out Syrian refugees

Protest movement and civil strife

• Video: One week of protests in Lebanon
• Article: Lebanon protests explained
• Article: Lebanon's ordeal: from civil strife to economic collapse

Lebanese Economic Crisis

• Video: Inside an Armed Bank Raid in Lebanon
• Article: Lebanon's financial crisis and how it happened
• Article: Collapse: Inside Lebanon’s Worst Economic Meltdown in More Than a Century
• Article: Lebanon’s currency value plunges to 100,000 against US dollar

Beirut Port Explosion

• Report: They Killed Us from the Inside: An Investigation into the August 4 Beirut Blast

Lebanese Civil War:

• Mudawant Podcast (Arabic)
• The War on Lebanon Documentary Miniseries

Lebanese hip hop

• Documentary: 961 Underground: The Rise of Lebanese Hip Hop (2012)by DJ Lethal Skillz: The definitive documentary about the rise of Lebanese hip hop culture by the spin master himself, DJ Lethal Skillz.
• Documentary | El Arena: the award winning documentary by Soul House Media is a must watch
• El Arena YouTube channel: watch rappers from across the MENA region converge on Beirut and go head to head. Pro-tip: if you know Arabic, watch Kalach vs. Al Darwish for some heavy duty social commentary about the tension between Syrian refugees and Lebanese citizens.

Protest movement and civil strife

• Video: One week of protests in Lebanon
• Article: Lebanon protests explained
• Article: Lebanon's ordeal: from civil strife to economic collapse

Lebanese Economic Crisis

• Video: Inside an Armed Bank Raid in Lebanon
• Article: Lebanon's financial crisis and how it happened
• Article: Collapse: Inside Lebanon’s Worst Economic Meltdown in More Than a Century
• Article: Lebanon’s currency value plunges to 100,000 against US dollar

Beirut Port Explosion

• Report: They Killed Us from the Inside: An Investigation into the August 4 Beirut Blast

Palestinian hip hop

• Music Video: Katibe 5 "بين حينا وحيك" (Baya Hayna wa Hayyak). Take a walk through Burj al-Barajneh, Sabra, and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut in this music video.  
• Article: Palestinians In Lebanon Find A Political Tool In Hip-Hop
• Article: Refugee rappers voice disgust at Lebanon camps
• Article: "We Ain't Missing": Palestinian Hip Hop—A Transnational Youth Movement

Burj al-Barajneh Refugee camp

• Video: For the love of art. Check out this video that features Saleh as a teenager at the program I referenced in the episode that taught kids how to rap.
• Video: Seven days inside a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon
• Video: A walking tour of Burj al-Barajneh Refugee camp
• Video: Remembering the Nakba from Burj Barajneh refugee camp
• Episode: PBS RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY: Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon
• Website: Burj al-Barajneh UNRWA archive
• Article: On the brink of cannibalism (1987)

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