Boikutt, of the Ramallah Underground Collective, tells Heydon Prowse about Palestinian hip hop and making space for music in a conflict situation, and spits us a short rhyme…

Please introduce yourself and your music.

I’m Boikutt, one of three producers (the other two being Stormtrap and Aswatt) and also an MC, from the Ramallah Underground collective. We make a lot of different kinds of music and blend traditional Palestinian and Arabic sounds with other kinds of music. Our productions range from hip hop to downtempo.

 Where did you grow up?

The first 9 years of my life, I lived in Nicosia, Cyprus, as my family were not allowed to be in Palestine. My grandparents were exiled from Safad, Palestine during the ethnic cleansing that occurred in 1948. The city is now under the state of Israel. After Cyprus we moved to Amman, Jordan and waited 4 more years for permission from Israel to enter Palestine.

Is there much of a hip hop scene in Palestine?

I wouldn’t say there’s a proper hip hop scene in Palestine yet, but there is potential. More and more people are appreciating real hip hop - we can see that from the growing audiences in shows. The problem is that major record companies / labels are beginning to intervene with Arabic hip hop in order to industrialize and commercialize it.

How hard is it to be a musician living in with the conflict?

The apartheid wall and checkpoints definitely make it hard for me to travel and perform or collaborate with musicians in many places, even cities near Ramallah. We are isolated from the rest of the world, but through the internet we can communicate with other musicians and get our music out there. The conflict situation has also made people less interested in art and more worried about the basic things in life, like food, rent and bills.

Where do you perform?

Mostly in small bars around Ramallah, but we've also done some shows in London, Amsterdam, Cairo, Vienna, Lausanne, Larnaca, Washington D.C., and Bethlehem.

Please spit us a short rhyme.

I usually write in Arabic but here’s something in English for you...

An eye or an eye, now we're all blind, technology advances, but humanities going rewind, stuck behind, so-called leaders that want to lead us to the battle zone, we just want to eat so they feed us and treat us like cattle they own, got us where they want us so divided they get the glory, nowadays there’s more than only two sides to every story, but I no slave.. no thanks don’t dig my grave, won’t fight for you or for something you promised but never gave, freedom.. life.. are but words when metal chains are tight, the enemy is wrong!! Well who the fuck decides you’re right. Man-made laws dominate your thoughts and decisions, divisions with nations, class, colour, past, or religion.. boy or girl... first, second and third world... truth is, we're all the same its a shame we cant share this pearl...

and it goes on and on, but you wanted a short rhyme!!

For more on Boikutt and the Ramallah Underground Collective, please visit www.ramallahunderground.com