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Tamer Nafar (, ; born June 6, 1979) is a Palestinian
rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
,
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
and
social activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...
of Israeli citizenship. He is the leader and a founding member of
DAM A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
, the first Palestinian hip hop group.


Early life

Nafar was born to Fawzi Nafar and Nadia Awadi. He grew up in poverty in Lod, a mixed Arab-Israeli city in Israel, which was a major hub for drug smuggling and crime. Tamer discovered
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
at age 17, when he began learning English by listening to Tupac and translating his lyrics to Arabic using an English-Arabic dictionary.


Career

Tamer recorded his first single "Untouchable", a reference to '' The Untouchables'' movie. In 1998, Tamer released his first EP ''Stop Selling Drugs'', featuring his younger brother Suhell.


DAM

In 2000, their friend Mahmood Jreri joined the Nafar brothers to establish DAM, the first Palestinian hip-hop group. The trio named themselves ''Da Arab MCs'' to create the acronyms DAM, a word that means ''lasting'' or ''persisting'' in Arabic and ''blood'' in Hebrew (דם). In an interview for '' Democracy Now'' (2008), Tamer said that the group's name suggested “eternal blood, like we will stay here forever,” evoking a politics of resilience and survival (or دام - ''sumood'', in Arabic). The group members are the grandchildren of those who experienced the
Nakba The Nakba () is the ethnic cleansing; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; of Palestinian Arabs through their violent displacement and dispossession of land, property, and belongings, along with the destruction of their s ...
and the children of those who mobilized the Arab minority in Israel in the 1970s and 1980s. This generation is challenging the insults to Palestinian identity and advocates Palestinian self-determination while objecting to
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
and inequality.
DAM A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
is notable for their ability to rap in English, Arabic and Hebrew. The group first rapped in English and then in Hebrew as the words flowed better this way. DAM understood that their potential for meaningful social impact depends on their ability to express their message in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
,
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
and English, drawing upon vernacular phrases, slang, obscenities and indigenous references to each cultural frame. In this way, DAM is able to reach disparate audiences. On September 3, 2000, Tamer's friend ''Booba'' (Hussam Abu Gazazae) was killed during a drive-by shooting, an incident that drove Tamer to record his first protest song with a political reference, despite the fact that his friend had been killed by an Arab. A cover of Abd al Majeed Abdalla's song "Ya Tayeb al Galb", the song was called "Booba" and featured Ibrahim Sakallah on the hook. In the outbreak of the
Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
in October 2000, Tamer and Mahmood decided to write their first direct political song "Posheem Hapim me Peshaa" (Innocent Criminals). It was recorded over an instrumental of "
Hail Mary The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the ...
" by Tupac and featured lines such as "when Jews protest, the cops use clubs / when Arabs protest, the cops take their souls" and "if it is a democracy how come I'm not mentioned in your anthem" followed by the chorus "before you judge me, before you understand me, walk in my shoes, and you will hurt your feet, because we are criminals, innocent criminals." The song created controversy in the Israeli media and put DAM in conflict with some of their fellow Israeli rappers such as Subliminal. Much of the subsequent fall-out was recorded in the documentary '' Channels of Rage''. Despite the controversy, the song was later remixed by Israeli rock musician Aviv Geffen and American-Israeli director Udi Aloni made a music video for the song in 2003.


2003: ''Channels of Rage''

In 2003 Israeli film director Anat Halachmi released the documentary '' Channels of Rage'', which won the Wolgin Award for best documentary at the 2003
Jerusalem Film Festival The Jerusalem Film Festival (, ) is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, It was established in 1984 by the Director of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and Israeli Film Archive, Lia van Leer, Lia Van Leer, and has since become th ...
. The film follows Tamer Nafar and DAM on one side and the right-wing
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
rapper Kobi Shimoni (Subliminal and the Shadow) on the other. Meeting in a dark alley in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
, the groups nearly come to blows over recent comments made by Tamer and Shimoni. Once collaborative and cherishing, the relationship quickly dissolved as each began to embody a political ideology following the collapse of the
2000 Camp David Summit The 2000 Camp David Summit was a summit meeting at Camp David between United States president Bill Clinton, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat. The summit took place between 11 and 25 July 2000 an ...
and the beginning of the
Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
. Coming to terms with the violence on the streets of Tel Aviv and
Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...
, both artists retreated from their once close relationship, based on a mutual love of hip-hop, into nationalism.


2004: The Born Here campaign

Tamer uses music and art as a tool for activism. In 2004, DAM was invited by the Shateel organization to produce songs discussing
discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
and
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
in mixed Arab-Israeli cities, commenting on Israeli demolition of Palestinian houses and the dangerous entrance into Lod, which required residents to cross eight train tracks to reach the city. DAM collaborated with a local R&B singer and created the song "Born Here" as a reference to a popular Israeli song by the duo Dats and Datsa whose chorus' lyrics begin "I was born here, my children were born here, and this is where I built my house with my two hands". DAM changed this to "I was born here, my grandparents were born here, and this is where you destroyed our houses with your hands". Due to the campaign's success, the Israeli government built a bridge above the train tracks for safer crossing and allowed DAM to tour Israel discussing their cause.


2006: Debut album ''Ihda''

After touring the world and releasing number one singles on Arab charts, DAM became the first Palestinian hip hop group to release an album with a major label after signing with EMI Arabia. The album, ''Ihda'', was released in 2006. DAM also signed with the French booking agency 3D Family to tour music festivals around the world promoting the album, visiting the
Sundance film festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
, Womad, Doha DIFF (Doha International film festival),
Dubai Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ) was the largest film festival in the Arab region. With particular emphasis on showcasing Arab, Asian, and African cinema, it also helped to develop industry and talent in the region. It was held i ...
, Trinity International Hip Hop Festival USA, Vine Rock, Taybeh Beer Festival Palestine, and Casa Festival Morocco, where they shared the stage with internationally known artists including
GZA Gary Eldridge Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and the Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in ...
of the Wutang Clan,
Mos Def Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...
,
Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...
, Dead Prez,
Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...
of
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
, Pharaoh Monch, Rachid Taha, Ahmad al Khoury,
Immortal Technique Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), known artistically as Immortal Technique, is an American rapper, activist and songwriter. His lyrics are largely commentary on issues such as politics, religion, institutional racism, and govern ...
, and others. The album included 15 tracks, including some number one hits. Though mainly about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the album was also notable for being the first Arab rap album to discuss women's rights. The album's song "Hurriyet Unta" (freedom for my sisters), features Safa' Hathoot, the first female Palestinian rapper, criticizes the oppression of women along with the oppression of the Palestinians.


2008: ''Slingshot Hip-Hop''

In 2008 '' Slingshot Hip Hop'' – a film about Palestinian Hip Hop by Jackie Salloum was released. Slingshot Hip-Hop is a performative type of
documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
that stresses subjective experience and emotional response to the world. It talks about personal stories that might be considered unconventional, although perhaps poetic and experimental. ''Slingshot Hip Hop'' braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Gaza, the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
and inside
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
as they discover hip hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. Following the debut in the Sundance film festival, the film got a lot of attention and won many prizes, and featured guest appearances by international artists such as Chuck D from Public Enemy and
Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...
.


2012: Second album: ''Dabke on the Moon''

In 2012, DAM released their second official album, ''Dabke on the Moon''. The main producer was Tamer and Suhell's cousin, Nabil Nafar, a Danish-Palestinian producer who came to Lod and worked with them on six tracks. In the track "A letter from the cell", DAM worked with the classical oud players Trio Joubran and Lebanese percussionist Bachar Khalife (the son of legendary composer and oud player
Marcel Khalife Marcel Khalife (; born 10 June 1950 in Amchit) is a Lebanese musical composer, singer, and oud player. Khalife is considered a folk hero in the Arab world, and he has been described as the "Bob Dylan of the Middle East." Biography In 1983 ...
). The result is a melancholic, non-traditional hip-hop song heavily influenced by classical Arabic composition and instruments.


2013: Room No. 4

In 2013, Tamer Nafar directed the
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
campaign Room No. 4 illustrated the reality faced by the children when arrested and detained and is based on the children's testimonies in the report. ''Room No. 4'' is an interrogation room in the Russian Compound–the main Israeli police office in Jerusalem–where Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, including children, are interrogated. to
protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
child arrests in East Jerusalem. The campaign


2014: "#Who_U_R"

In 2014, Tamer Nafar and DAM released the music video "#Who_U_R". The video was directed by
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti. "#Who_U_R" was written in response to the rape of a 16-year-old Texan teenager Jada, whose assault was recorded, shared, and mocked on social media in 2014. Tamer stated about the video that, "Women's struggle is beyond the Middle East. It’s an international struggle." He discusses how the concept was to "take the social part of my individual progress and to take my social issues to the international stage." The song generated a
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
campaign throughout the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. The hashtag #Who_You_R encouraged men to send in photos of themselves doing housework as a way to break gender norms and support women.


2016: ''Junction 48''

Tamer starred in the feature film '' Junction 48'' directed by Udi Aloni and written by Nafar and Oren Moverman. Nafar's youth and early years as a rapper formed the basis for the semi-autobiographical movie. The film won the Audience Award at the
Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
, Best International Film at the
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
and 2 awards at the Slovakia Art Film Festival for Best Film and Best Male Actor (Tamer). As an actor and a writer, Tamer's work has appeared in numerous stage plays in Israel/Palestine and Europe. He has performed alongside veteran Palestinian directors Norman Issa and Nizar Zoabi in
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
’s plays.


Controversial statements

Nafar performed at a joint conference between the
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...
and
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
known as Conflict Over Gaza: People, Politics, and Possibilities. During Nafar's performance he said "I know it might sound ikeR&B stuff, but don't think of
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
when you sing it, don't think of
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
. Think of
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
. Go that anti-Semitic. Let's try it together because I need your help. I cannot be anti-Semitic alone." Gibson is an actor and filmmaker who has said "the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." UNC's Interim Chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, condemned the "disturbing" language in Nafar's performance, while members of the audience said that Nafar's comment was a sarcastic remark meant to mock the idea that people fighting for Palestinian liberation must be anti-Semitic.


See also

* Palestinian hip hop * Arabic hip hop


References


External links


Slingshot hiphopInterview with Tamer Nafar
from ''Democracy Now!'' program, 15 May 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nafar, Tamer 1979 births Living people Israeli Arab musicians Israeli Arab actors Arab Israeli anti-racism activists Israeli anti-racism activists Israeli male rappers Israeli male film actors Israeli male television actors Palestinian anti-racism activists Palestinian rappers Israeli record producers Ophir Award winners People from Lod Arabic-language singers of Israel Arabic-language singers of Palestine Palestinian hip-hop musicians