DAM raps on Palestinian nation

Editor's note: On these pages, we often discuss the power of art to promote peace, love and tolerance. We forget sometimes that art can have every bit as much power to promote divisive themes as it does to bring people together. So what happens when the line blurs between art and politics-especially when those politics are contentious? We've decided to explore this question in a three-part series about controversial musicians emerging on the national scene. This article is the second in the series.

The city of Lod in Israel has a rich history.

It is mentioned throughout the Bible, most memorably as the place where the disciple Peter healed the paralytic. The entire city was later destroyed by the Crusaders in the late 11th century. It was then rebuilt by King Richard I.

Today, Lod resembles more of a ghetto than a historical Mecca. It sits approximately 10 miles south of Tel Aviv and right next to Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's primary international hub. The city has approximately 70,000 residents and is about 80 percent Israeli and 20 percent Arab. It has a two-thirds unemployment rate.

The Arab section of the city is full of crumbling houses and apartments. Within the walls of the decaying city lives Tamer Nafer, a Palestinian Israeli who is also the lead MC in DAM, the first-ever Palestinian rap group.

Nafer and DAM have been rapping together since 2000 when Nafer, his brother Suhell Nafer and a friend named Mahmoud Jrere decided to start a rap group after observing the burgeoning Israeli rap scene. Nafer explained that the name DAM stands for "blood" in Hebrew, both "blood" and "eternity" in Arabic and "Da Arabian MCs" in English.

"We chose DAM because it's an international word," he said. "Together, it means that even if you use blood or violence, Da Arabian MCs will last forever."

Musically, DAM is on par with the best of rap groups. Were they an American group, they might be at the top of the charts, with the MC's quick-paced lyrics mixed over hard-hitting beats and melodies that often incorporate strings and synthesizers. But their living situation and radically leaning lyrics have stopped them from even securing a record deal.

"Our situation is like getting stuck in the middle," he said. "It's being a non-Jew in the land of the Jews that don't like Arabs, and it's being Israeli among the Arab countries who don't like Israel."

Nina Robinson, the Northeast Regional Director of USD/Hagshama, the student division of the World Zionist Organization, said she understands this kind of frustration of being caught in the middle but thinks DAM's summation of the situation is unfair.

"I don't think that Israel can be equated with terrorism, so I obviously disagree with DAM there," she said. "To me, terrorism is an act which brings fear into the hearts of people. It's true that the Israeli government has rules and regulations regarding the Palestinian population, and it would be wrong of me to say that Israel hasn't done anything wrong in its time, but I don't think that you can equate that with terrorism."

Robinson also said that while Palestinians like Nafer may not find their situation ideal, it's far from complete oppression.

"Within Israel, Israeli Arabs have equal rights, and that goes for Palestinians living in Israel, too," she said. "That's not to say that there is total social equality within Israel in terms of Arabs, but for the most part, Arabs choose to stay in Israel because they have a lot more freedom than they would elsewhere."

Although Robinson takes issue with DAM's lyrics as a whole, she said that she would rather have them rapping about their frustrations than taking them out violently.

And while DAM has been called radical, militant anti-Israeli rappers, Nafer said that they too seek peace.

"DAM is pro-peace and we all want that peace so badly. However, we are realistic people," he said. "We won't accept peace at any means, and we will fight until we get our rights. Only then will we have peace."

And radicalism, Nafer added, is in the eye of the beholder. "A lot of people don't see that we live in a radical environment," he said.

Nafer added that he believes that both the Israelis and Palestinians are going abut the peace process the wrong way.

"The only way to solve the problem with Israel and Palestine is to give everyone equality, not to use Zionism," he said.

But the solution he calls for is what many pro-Israelis say will lead to anything but justice. "Equality will bring peace, and then we'll have one state for everyone. Some people call that radical. I call that real," Nafer said.

Many are unconvinced that this message is one of peace.

"Palestinian nationalism is predicated on the wholesale rejection of Israel's existence," wrote Ari Ruben of the Jewish Defense League in an e-mail. "They are obviously not interested in building a state but are instead committed to the destruction of Israel. Until truth is accepted over cherished hate propaganda, Arabs will remain in conflict with the Jewish state."

Robinson said that while she understands Nafer's stance on the issue of equality, he should focus on the present rather than the past.

"Israel is looking to make peace now," she said. "With the new party in control, they're looking for a peace agreement with the Palestinians. There have been many wrongs on both sides of the conflict, but I think that Israel really does want peace. There are so many internal problems-almost one-quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, and education isn't nearly what it could be, so it seems to me that war and violence is the last thing that Israel wants."

Nafer said that he can't see Israel making attempts to bring peace to the Arab world. He said he attempts to explain the feeling of trying to be peaceful in the wake of frustration and resentment in the song "Born Here." Nafer said DAM performs the song in both Hebrew and Arabic to try to reach a greater audience.

In the song, Nafer raps that he feels like "a dove trying to survive under the hawk's regime." He goes on to say, "I was born here/my grandparents were also born here/you will not sever me/from my roots understand, even if/I have faith in this 'if you wish it is not a legend' regime/you still haven't allowed me to build a porch to stand on and express it."

Nafer said DAM has found themselves stuck in the middle in the rap world as well as in their personal lives. He said Israeli labels refuse to sign them because of their lyrical content and the limited market for Arabic rap, and Arabic labels won't sign them because they see Palestinians living in Israel as traitors.

Far from the glamorous American rap life, Nafer said in order to pay the bills he works as an insurance telemarketer. "We are in an impossible situation," he said.

Nafer said DAM could be signed to an Israeli label if they changed their lyrics, but he would consider this a breach of integrity. "It's not about getting rich," he said. "It's about keeping it real."

Nafer also said the band strives for consistency between their music and their values.

"We say political stuff on the mic, and we back it up in our daily life," he said. "We don't just rap against demonstrations; we create lectures and demonstrations. We don't rap against America's imperialism; we boycott Coca-Cola and McDonald's. We live exactly as we say in our songs."

Because DAM is the first Palestinian rap group, Nafer said he understands that if they become successful, many international listeners will think their lyrics represent the greater Palestinian-if not Arabic-population's views.

But Nafer said he is undaunted by that prospect and instead sees it as an opportunity to let the world know what he says is happening to the Palestinians. "Being the first Palestinian rap group is more of an honor than a pressure, and I think that we do represent ourselves well," he said. "We know that millions of people are living the same way as we do, so I think we want to represent those people but in the end it's up to those people, not us."

Nafer said DAM will keep searching for their big break from a record company.

"We've had interest from a small independent British label," Nafer said. "So we're going to try and work with them to release an album of ours this April. If that works out, we'll work hard on getting the Palestinian music out and putting it on the map. If we get signed to the British label, we'll be able to spread our message further than ever before."