Filling the Head: Listening to Rap in Arabic

When asked what drew them to experimental Arabic—language rap, performers and fans shared a common refrain: various artists or tracks "filled their head" ('abba rasshom), offering relief from their dissatisfaction, cynicism, resignation, and disgust with contemporary politics and society.

Based on ethnographic research in Ramallah (Palestine), Amman (Jordan), and Beirut (Lebanon), Filling the Head reveals how youths in these cities have maneuvered the challenges of making music while also n...