Shadia Mansour شادية منصور

 
Shadia Mansour ( شادية منصور‎ Shādiyah Manṣūr, born 1985), also known as "the first lady of Arabic hip hop" is a Palestinian singer and MC who sings and raps in Arabic and English. Much of her music focuses on Middle East politics.Mansour's parents are Christian Palestinians originally from Haifa and Nazareth. Mansour was born in London in 1985. She grew up in the UK and spent summers visiting relatives in Haifa and Nazareth, including the Israeli/Palestinian actor, writer, director and activist Juliano Mer-Khamis, who is her cousin. Influenced by Arabic performers such as Fairouz, Umm Kulthum and Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Mansour began singing at Palestinian protest rallies as a child and she became known in London’s Palestinian community for performing classical Arab songs of protest at an early age. She went on to study performing arts before beginning her career as an MCMansour began rapping in 2003 and has gained recognition in the Middle East, Europe and the United States for her own songs and collaborations with other artists. She performs wearing a traditional Palestinian thawb and has said that she considers herself to be part of a "musical intifada" against the occupation of Palestine, conservatism and oppression of women. Mansour's first single, "Al Kufiya Arabiya (The Kufiya is Arab)," featured rapper M-1 of dead prez and lyrics emphasizing the kufiya's role as a symbol of Arab nationalism. 

Mansour has recorded music with producer Johnny "Juice" Rosado of Public Enemy and was featured on Chuck D's website shemovement.com. She has also collaborated with artists like Iraqi rappers Lowkey and The Narcicyst, and Palestinian hip-hop group DAM. Mansour has toured with Existence is Resistance, an organization supporting hip-hop shows in Palestine, and is part of the "Arab League" of Hip Hop, a collection of performers who share views on the Middle East.Mansour's political raps have criticized Israel's occupation of territories as well as Israel's role in the Gaza War which began in 2008. Mansour said, "My music sometimes sounds hostile. It's my anger coming out and it's resistance. It's non-violent resistance." Mansour's early work emphatically supported the Palestinian resistance movement with what Rolling Stone called a "hardcore stance on Palestinian nationalism",

Over time her views evolved to appreciate more of the complexity in the region, and her music came to reflect that; Monsour describes that she has become more “realistic” in her lyrics. In 2007 Mansour called for Hamas and Fatah to stop fighting. In 2008 Mansour's track "Kulun 'Andun Dababat” (They All Have Tanks) included Tamer and Suhell Nafar from an Israel-based Palestinian hip-hop group DAM; Suhell's lyrics made clear that neither Fatah nor Hamas received his support.

While challenging Israel's policies, Mansour also takes a stand against gender stereotyping of women both in hip-hop culture and Palestinian society . She has refused to perform to gender-separated audiences. Mansour's music has been challenged by conservatives within Palestine, and Mansour has addressed that opposition to her music in her lyrics. She initially tried to change her voice to sound more like male MCs, but over time Mansour has developed her own style as a female MC while rejecting the sexualization of women in hip-hop. Mansour typically performs in a traditional Palestinian gown that covers most of her body, and notes that she is "kind of old fashioned."

Shadia Mansour, conosciuta anche come la first lady dell’hip hop arabo, è una cantante anglo-palestinese. Mansour ha iniziato a cantare all’età di cinque anni ed è apparsa in varie serie tv arabe, americane e inglesi. È diventata una delle principali Mc femminili arabe, riconosciuta in tutto il mondo. È apparsa come ospite in brani di The X-vandali, DAM (gruppo palestinese rap), Olkinary (rapper francese) e molti altri. Mansour ha aperto per Busta Rhymes e Mobb Deep presso il Club Palladium di New Rochelle e il suo tour negli Usa ha ricevuto una calorosa accoglienza a Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco e Los Angeles. Mansour ha anche preso parte a the Annual Pre Black August Concert a New York con DJ Juice Johnny (Public Enemy). Particolarmente fortunato è stato il suo tour olandese, sold out in tutte le quattro date, nel quale si è esibita insieme a un’orchestra di 200 persone e a un coro di 50 bambini. Nel 2009 ha aperto the Annual Black August Benefit per i prigionieri politici hip hop, accanto a grandi leggende come Q-Tip, EPMD, Bilal, Blackmoon, Smif N Wessun e Immortal Technique. In seguito al successo olandese le è stato chiesto di ritornare nei Paesi Bassi per il Gala dinner all’inizio di novembre.

Shadia Mansour شادية منصور - Collection

01-As salam 3alikum
02-bade salam feat mahmood
03-arme d'espoir Feat Ol Kainry
04-Beirut feat Eslam Jawaad
05-eli bitshoofo
06-El-Kofeyye-Arabeyye feat m-1 (dead prez)
07-eydkom fe el hawa2 feat Eslam Jawaad
08-Hamdulilah Gaza feat The Narcicyst
09-Kollon 3endon Dababaat feat DAM
010-Madinaty -My City feat PR palestinian rapperz
011-not your Prisoner -Arabian Knightz ft Shadia Mansour & Fred Wreck
012-So Real feat Eslam Jawaad
013-Ro7a Bla Raj3a
014-So Serious feat logic Mc
015-unadeekum
016-Ya loz el ukhdurr
017-On this Earth is what makes life worth living - Tribute to Mahmoud Darwish

 HERE