LYRICAL ALLIANCE
“An inspiring night of contrast and contemplation, culminating in a raucous classic hip-hop performance .... breathed new life into the genre.”
Hosted by UK hip hop lynchpin DJ MK (KISS FM, Roots Manuva, Dizzee Rascal), Lyrical Alliance was a ground-breaking, international urban music event that transcends language and cultural barriers to celebrate the common pillars of hip-hop all over the world: the beat and the word.
Taking the legendary Mu'Allaqat poems – written at a time when the Arab region was the cultural and intellectual centre of the world – as a starting point, the artists dug deep into the roots of their art form, developing new work together in a series of live sessions and workshops throughout the year, which reached a climax with a series of major concerts in Europe in Autumn 2010.
The second half of the evening featured major US artist Talib Kweli.
Lyrical Alliance premiered at London’s Roundhouse in Saturday 16th October 2010 and later at Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels in November 2011.
Created and led by Artistic Director Josephine Burton.
Lyrical Alliance Artists:
DJ MK (UK)
Rabah Donquishoot (Algeria)
Shadia Mansour (Palestine)
Rayess Bek (Lebanon)
Samm (Jordan)
Tamer Nafar (Palestine)
VJ Jana Saleh (Lebanon)
Bazam is written by the Dash Lyrical Alliance team featuring Rabah Donquishoot (Algeria), Shadia Mansour (Palestine), Rayess Bek (Lebanon), Tamer Nafer (Palestine) and Samm (Jordan) as part of the Dash Arabic Series.
See what The Independent thought here.
Download the touring pack here
Read all the latest online coverage of Lyrical Alliance:
Fly Global Music, Songlines, British hip hop, The Independent and Re-Volt Radio