Arab Womxn rap and hiphop from the MENA region

Rap opens doors for youth to express themselves and raise their voice about their dreams, challenges, gains and heartbreaks. Rap and hip hop are popular among minority groups such as people of colour, young women and non-binary. This music genre enables them to articulate a certain cultural perspective and help others understand what is going on in their minds. Through rap and hip hop music, these groups draw the reality of their lives, of the neighbourhoods around them, and of the wider social circumstances in which they find themselves.

To date, there is a gender gap in the rap and hiphop music industry in the Arab world. Therefore, Mind the Gap programme decided to team up with Beirut and Beyond (Lebanon) to challenge the gender and socio-cultural norms of this particular music industry in the MENA region. 

This project is organised thanks to the support of the Swedish Institute Creative Force programme.