Loading ...
Omar Offendum: Uniting People Through Hip-Hop
Omar Offendum is a Syrian-American hip-hop artist and a great lyricist. Some of his tracks include a translation from the great Syrian legendary poet, Nizar Qabbani, from Arabic to English, which talks about the experience of being an Arab living in the US.
Born in Saudi Arabia and raised between Saudi Arabia and the US, Offendum is real and definitely one of the most talented Arabic hip-hop artists representing Arabia. Above all, he is an architect, building bridges both literally and metaphorically.
I had the honor of having Offendum on my show where he spoke about how hip-hop is a culture and how it should unite people — both Arabs and non-Arabs.
Hass: I don’t know anybody that takes the poems of legendary poets, such as Nizar Qabbani. How did the idea cross your mind?
Omar: Well, Nizar Qabbani’s poetry has been with me all my life. It was something that my mother introduced me to when I was really young. I never got the opportunity to live in Syria for an extended period of time, so his poems helped me feel as close as possible to the country, especially as things are rapidly changing in the Middle East.
It’s nice to be able to stay connected to that past that we have in the Middle East through his poetry. Furthermore, on a personal level, our family is close to the Qabbani family who encouraged me to go for it, which to me was the biggest honor.
You have worked with so many hip-hop artists like The Narcicyst, DJ Lethal Skillz and many more. Can you tell us about that?
Yeah! I have always wanted to collaborate with like-minded individuals and naturally you get drawn to people who have a similar upbringing and outlook on life. Even though The Narcicyst was raised in Montreal and Abu Dhabi and DJ lethal Skillz was raised in Africa and Beirut, we felt we had a bond in terms for our love for hip-hop, our love for our people and for wanting to put out a positive message from the negativity in the media.
It was just an organic process to meet them online and then in person. When I met them, I felt like I have known them all my life! It was these two brothers as well as many other people that I have met along the way — not only Muslims and Arabs — but people from all over the world that have the same way of thinking.
Tell us about your first solo album, “SyrianAmericanA.”
Yeah man. Its out now and has been a labor of love. I have been working on it for quite some time. A lot of artists recorded and put out their album, but I take my time with the stuff that I am doing. I am happy with it and with how people perceive it.
“SyrianAmericanA” is a nation-state of mind where everything is connected and everyone is welcome. It’s a trip to Syria through an American’s eyes and a trip to America through a Syrian’s eyes.
You juggle Arabic and English together and you make the rhymes stand out. What does this style reflect about you?
I think it reflects the way I was raised. Like you said, I was born in Saudi Arabia, grew up in the US, but most of my family lives in the Middle East and went to a Saudi School here in the US. We were taught Arabic and English everyday. I think in both Arabic and English so I naturally write that way. I try to only be true to myself; I don’t try to act like someone I’m not.
I am interviewing you from Jeddah, so you got to make it here one day man.
For sure man. There’s nothing like Jeddah — one of the nicest cities in Saudi Arabia!
How does the writing process come to you given that you’re an architect?
It’s all art and expression; music and architecture are connected to me. I try to give a true expression of myself to each everyone of those art forms.
Do you think Arabic hip-hop is rising and spreading massively?
We still have a long way to go, as other parts of the world have 20 to 30 years of history. However, it is defiantly rising. It is rising at a healthy rate, and I am really happy to see more MC’s more DJ’s popping up in different cities. People are starting to express themselves through hip-hop and by being DJs and MCs.
I believe it is more important for us to participate in the hip-hop culture and not get focused on “I am Arab” because that can only get you so far. You want to have a universal message that all human beings can relate to and find something that they can unite around. That is how I do my music. So, while it is really important to represent myself, my people, my history and my culture, I do that in an effort to unite people, instead of telling people “I am this” or “I am that.”
What would your dream performance stage be like?
Wow that’s a tough question. I never thought of it. But, to be honest with you, that would be in the age and time that I dream about: The day when all the borders in the Middle East are not hard to pass. That’s more important to me. I dream of a day where that can be a reality where we are all really united and dividing and conquering the Middle East becomes something of the past.
Hass Dennaoui
Arab News