Outspoken: Hip-hop Knows No Borders, organized by ROOT (Sounds of the Urban Underground), will host their first event – a collaboration of Middle Eastern MCs from Turkish and Levantine underground hip-hop scenes – on Sunday 14 October at IF Performance Hall Beşiktaş. Early bird tickets are priced at 55 TL (65 TL at the door) and available at the venue, as well as at AD.DAR Center and Komşu Kafe Collective. Doors are set to open at 20:00.
From the organizer:
ROOT (Sounds of the Urban Underground)
Root is an organisation that is focused on supporting, opening up spaces for independent musicians and artists. Our main focus is the fresh and promising underground music scene sprouting from both local and international communities. We aspire to bring together both musicians and artists from various disciplines from all around the world, forming bridges and collaborations.
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Outspoken: Hip-hop Knows No Borders
Our first event will be about a new collaboration of Middle Eastern MCs especially from the underground hip-hop scene of Turkey and Levantine countries. The artists joining us have all proved themselves in their own fields and most of them have collaborated with each other before. For the first time, these neighbouring and flourishing hip-hop scenes will be meeting on one stage.
Jundi Majhul Watar (Facebook / Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Youtube)
Khairy Ibesh as known as Jundi Majhul is a Syrian Rapper, Producer and a beat-maker started his journey around 2008 From Syria to Lebanon and settled in Paris, Watar reflects on his music as “Waq’iee hip-hop” or realistic. Back in 2008, he released his first album, “Crossword Puzzle”, Five years later, in March 2013, Khairy found himself in Beirut.
In 2016 Watar released his heavy mixtape “Klassiki” and followed with his full-length album and his first official release in the mid of 2017 with the name “Al mahata al awla” (The first channel). Watar has performed and collaborated with Lebanon-based rappers like Al Rass, Bu Nasser Touffar, and Palestinian rappers like Gilgamesh among others. Not to forget that he is one of the founders and a member of the trio group called Lattlateh alongside with Bu Kolthoum.
Bu Nasser Touffar (Facebook / Soundcloud / Youtube)
Bu Nasser or Nasser Al-Din Touffar is a Lebanese rapper and writer from Al Ayin, Baalbek raising his revolutionary voice to tremble corruption and to break the silence of the isolated society. Bu Nasser’s journey within hip-hop started in 2009. He released the full-length album with a group called “Toufar band” under the name of “Sehab el Ard” (Rightful Landowners). This album is the forerunner of many projects which resulted in collaborations with different rappers and producers such as “Jundi Majhul, Bu Kolthoum, Hello Psychaleppo and EL Rass .. Etc.”. On his second album, “Tatlet” released in 2014. (A video clip was released after two years entitled “Meen” and was shot in the besieged area of eastern Ghouta in Syria) He had performed on several concerts in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut and around the country, and in 2017 Bu Nasser had performed for the first time in Istanbul. His concert at the Woodstock was sold-out. In 2016 Bu Nasser published his first memoir novel series titled “Al Harayek” after which in 2018 was released the second part with the title “Al Qashood”. Currently he is writing and directing an online series of episodes entitled “Albutqa”.
Ağaçkakan (Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Youtube)
Burkay Yalnız is one of the most prominent names in the Turkish hip-hop scene, finding his way through and recently, out of the underground. He is an urban poet, MC and a musician, sustaining his productivity both with his ten-year-old project ‘Ağaçkakan’ and his collaborative projects roadside. picnic, Sahtekar, No Call ‘Recently’ and so on. Moreover, he is one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop & experimental electronic music organisation M4NM. Following the release of his last album ‘A Naşkvit’ in autumn 2017, he’s been touring various cities and venues around Turkey together with his live band consisting of Kaan ‘’Golem’’ Akay and Emiladil. After A Naşkvit, he was a part of the ‘‘XJAZZ: Nazdrave x Rap’’ project which is based upon the collaborations of local rappers and well-known jazz musician Ediz Hafızoğlu including new productions and stage performances.
Ethnique Punch (Bandcamp / Youtube)
Al’Eksan is a producer, mc and videographer who makes his own music and videos. He released 3 instrumental and 5 rap albums such like Sarhos Baykus (2012), Monokrom (2015), Vinyet LP (2016) and singles throughout his search of old ethnic melodies within musical and linguistic dimensions. Meanwhile he kept experimental and trippy hip hop as the prime element of his music. He created a unique style on solo works, beside that he met too many appreciated musicians. Also he came up with a distinguish lyrical expression on his lyrics where entangled metaphors from cultural, philosophical, social, and political background are blending with his deep voice and trippy beats. At the same time, he was making short movies, music videos involved with different styles of videographics. Ethnique Punch has widened his audience and experience inside and outside of Anatolia via his gypsy tours and performances where he leads the audience into a mystical journey on the zone. The albums, videos and EP’s he released since 2009 can be found through these links:
Asifeh – Stormtrap (Soundcloud / Youtube / Facebook / Bandcamp)
Stormtrap is a music producer, composer and an MC from Palestine. Experimenting with old samples, instruments, and field recordings the sound results in a fusion of ambient atmospheres combined with various noises and hip hop beats. Asifeh released his first album “Iradeh” 2012 followed with “Datura” last year, 2017. Asifeh’s lyrics deal with different themes inspired mainly by his personal experiences in Palestine and life in the Diaspora. Stormtrap played a fundamental role in forming the band Ramallah Underground, with which he has performed worldwide the past few years. and he produced for many rappers such as Synaptik, El Far3i and Ethnique punch and many others.
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For more information, check out the official Facebook event.
Image courtesy of the organizer. Artwork by Mira Abou Malhab.
