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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 - 24 Safar 1431 H
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Hip hop band’s first video focuses on unemployed youth
By Mohannad Sharawi
THE members of the local hip hop band “Black Royalty” (BR), officially launched their first song called “5 Riyals” last Thursday at the popular Le Harley Cafe in Jeddah. Band members were accompanied by fans, actors from the video clip and media representatives. The video clip was aired on MTV Arabia and Wanasa on Saturday.
According to BR’s founding member Joe Werde, “5 Riyals” is the title of a three minute and forty seconds’ long clip that highlights the status of unemployed young men who often have no more than five Saudi riyals in their pockets at a time. “It is one of the tracks in our ‘Black Royalty’ album which comprises of 15 tracks that deal largely with the issues concerning Saudi youth,” explained Werde in a conversation with Saudi Gazette. “We opted to make a video of ‘5 Riyals’ because finding a job is the biggest problem many young people face today.”
Werde also acknowledges that many people in the Kingdom take issue with the fact that the band has chosen hip hop as its preferred genre of music. “I know that there has been much criticism about why we need to convey messages to the youth in the mould of a Western musical genre, but that’s because English is a universal language,” he explained. “And when we present our problems in English, then our concerns will be sung along internationally.”
Werde added that BR chose the Le Harley Cafe for the launch because most of the scenes in the video clip were shot there. The production manager of BR, Omar Abdu, added that he expects feedback from a wide set of audience along with the private feedback fans will be sending though various conduits, including music channels, groups on social networking sites like Facebook and e-mails.
The band also plans to perform live with big shows lined up in Riyadh during the summer as well as some scheduled shows in Bahrain. Werde also indicated that BR’s next album is in the pipeline.
“There will be another surprise album by BR featuring the well-known Saudi rapper ‘Clash’ and the debut song ‘Mamnou’a Shabab’ will have a video that is shot primarily at Red Sea Mall,” he stated.
“The song is concerned with another social issue: the dilemma our youth encounter every time they step onto the threshold of malls, restaurants, amusement parks or any other recreational areas - ‘Bachelors not allowed. Only families.’” If hip-hop is indeed, an effective way to address these kind of pressing social issues, then BR’s songs and videos are certainly worth both a listen and look. – SG
According to BR’s founding member Joe Werde, “5 Riyals” is the title of a three minute and forty seconds’ long clip that highlights the status of unemployed young men who often have no more than five Saudi riyals in their pockets at a time. “It is one of the tracks in our ‘Black Royalty’ album which comprises of 15 tracks that deal largely with the issues concerning Saudi youth,” explained Werde in a conversation with Saudi Gazette. “We opted to make a video of ‘5 Riyals’ because finding a job is the biggest problem many young people face today.”
Werde also acknowledges that many people in the Kingdom take issue with the fact that the band has chosen hip hop as its preferred genre of music. “I know that there has been much criticism about why we need to convey messages to the youth in the mould of a Western musical genre, but that’s because English is a universal language,” he explained. “And when we present our problems in English, then our concerns will be sung along internationally.”
Werde added that BR chose the Le Harley Cafe for the launch because most of the scenes in the video clip were shot there. The production manager of BR, Omar Abdu, added that he expects feedback from a wide set of audience along with the private feedback fans will be sending though various conduits, including music channels, groups on social networking sites like Facebook and e-mails.
The band also plans to perform live with big shows lined up in Riyadh during the summer as well as some scheduled shows in Bahrain. Werde also indicated that BR’s next album is in the pipeline.
“There will be another surprise album by BR featuring the well-known Saudi rapper ‘Clash’ and the debut song ‘Mamnou’a Shabab’ will have a video that is shot primarily at Red Sea Mall,” he stated.
“The song is concerned with another social issue: the dilemma our youth encounter every time they step onto the threshold of malls, restaurants, amusement parks or any other recreational areas - ‘Bachelors not allowed. Only families.’” If hip-hop is indeed, an effective way to address these kind of pressing social issues, then BR’s songs and videos are certainly worth both a listen and look. – SG
3 Comments have been posted. Post Your Comments
» Who are they trying to fool | Aminur Syed posted...
I fail to see how the media can give these wayward youth any publicity, without which they would remain as just that. I guess they can be credited for being able to fool people in the name reaching out to young Saudis. Islam has the best solutions for all. Anyone who denies that is in challenge with the Almighty. Even the layman knows that Hip Hop is associated with drugs, women, power and crime. So please give us a break and stop pretending to be anything more than deviant youth.
» Hip Hop is not the solution | Rashid posted... I don't know how authorities can allow these youth to hold shows in public. Its no use blaming unemployment for your own downfall. Societies have flourished with much less going for them in the past. We must stop them from this evil which they are trying to spread amongst the youth. We are well aware of the drug problems that youth face in Saudi Arabia and this is just the type of thing to make matters worse. We must report them to the authorities before they go any further.
» GIVE THE YOUTH A BREAK | Saud AL Mansoor posted... I cannot believe this .....instead of encouraging the youth to express themselves you are trying to destroy them, and who said that Hip-Hop is associated with Women Drugs and etc,it depends on how you express yourselves,these are a bunch of saudis who are making good use of their time instead of roaming the streets and getting into trouble, and for your info Hip-Hop is the most listened to Genre in Saudi Arabia amongst the youth so these artists can surely influence the young in the right way.
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