BELLY'S ACHE: PALESTINIAN RAPPER'S VIDEO 'HISTORY OF VIOLENCE' TAKES ON IRAQ WAR

By Antoine du Rocher

NEW YORK, 8 JUNE 2007— Belly, (aka Rebellyus) a Palestinian-born, Canadian (Ottawa)-raised rapper has created somewhat of a sensation with one cut, from his debut full-length album, The Revolution, released on 5 June. In the track, "History of Violence," the husky, corn-rowed 23 year old berates politicians and the media for the hypocrisy and devastation of the war in Iraq and other Middle Eastern and Central Asian territories. The song incorporates contributions from hip-hop artists from around the world: Palestinians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Ghanaians, Haitians, Jamaicans, Somalis, Anglo and French Canadians, and Americans.

As with most hip hop, the rap and rhyme may be a bit slick, but the politics are sincere: "'84, I was born on a war-torn corner / Jenin, full of steam, where the bombs stormed on us / Tried to escape but they never forewarned us / we’d end up with the weight of the whole world on us. "

And the video has the look and feel of an evening news piece, highlighting the atrocities of war. Graphic footage from Palestine and Iraq is interspersed with footage from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a tragedy about which Belly feels very strongly.

Belly had this to say to Culturekiosque about the war in Iraq and the war on terror:

The war in Iraq and the war on terror is a contradiction in itself. We can't kill innocent people in the process of fighting terrorists, then justify it by saying: we're fighting terrorists because they kill innocent people. "History of Violence" is just a small example of some of the harsh realities that people face in the Middle East and around the world because of war and negligent governments.

Antoine du Rocher is Managing Editor of Culturekiosque.com

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