DUBAI: Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA has teamed with Italian electronic music duo Parisi to release a haunting new song about refugees, the proceeds of which will be donated to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
The track debuted on Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio on Monday and comes paired with a powerful video which depicts a group of dancers imitating refugees walking through an apocalyptic expanse.
“I don’t understand how you could ban a man from a land that was said to be a beacon of light for men escaping the plight of tyranny,” RZA raps at the opening of the song “No Refuge.”
In the track, he raps: “I’m an innocent immigrant trying to emigrate/ To the land built by immigrants/ Where the face of a former slave/ Became the face of the president.”
In an interview with Mic.com, the Parisi brothers said: “Every year, especially in the summer, refugees from the Middle East and north Africa cross the Mediterranean from north Africa and land in southern Italy — not far from our home town of Salerno.
“As a country and as a family, we do our best to help and welcome everybody, but it becomes more difficult every day to manage the situation properly…The refugees need support from people like us and from institutions.”
For his part, RZA told Mic.com that he wants to see he US thrive under President Donald Trump but added that the country should remember that it was built by immigrants.
“I’m a patriot, bro,” he said. “I defend my country verbally, musically, my family’s here and all that. But it’s like defending your kid when you know when your kid was wrong.”
Wu-Tang Clan has released seven gold and platinum studio albums since its formation in 1992, with worldwide sales of more than 40 million albums.
Wu-Tang Clan rapper releases new song in support of refugees
Wu-Tang Clan rapper releases new song in support of refugees
Jessica Kahawaty to narrate London concert paying tribute to Arab music icons
DUBAI: Australian Lebanese model and entrepreneur Jessica Kahawaty this week announced that she will serve as the storyteller for “A Night With The Legends,” a one-night musical tribute celebrating iconic women of Arabic music, taking place at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 5.
Kahawaty will portray Scheherazade and deliver spoken narration during the program.
The evening will pay tribute to the legacies of Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, Warda, Sabah, Asmahan and Layla Mourad.
Vocals will be performed by Lebanese vocalist Abeer Nehme, accompanied by the UK-based London Arab Orchestra under the direction of conductor Basel Saleh, alongside the London-based Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The program will also feature a 70-member all-female choir.
“I’m incredibly humbled,” Kahawaty wrote to her 1.8 million followers on Instagram. “As storyteller, I’ll be weaving history, memory and meaning into the musical experience in a one-night tribute celebrating the iconic women of the golden era of Arabic music.”
“I cannot wait to see you all there,” she added.
Kahawaty is also an entrepreneur. She co-founded fine jewelry label Kahawaty Jewels with her father, master jeweler Ghassan Kahawaty, launching the Dubai-based brand last year as a continuation of the family’s longstanding craftsmanship tradition.
“I grew up watching my father in his jewelry trade. I saw how happy he made people when he created these beautiful pieces,” Kahawaty previously told Arab News. “I’ve always wanted to continue my father’s legacy and my grandfather’s trade. I felt like this is the perfect time to launch Kahawaty Jewels in Dubai, which is a city I’ve been in for over 13 years.”
Kahawaty and her mother are also behind UAE-based food delivery business Mama Rita. In July last year, the pair expanded the venture with the launch of a cookbook, which featured a cover endorsement from Hollywood actress and producer Courteney Cox.
Writing on Instagram at the time, Kahawaty said: “The moment we held the Mama Rita cookbook in our hands for the very first time … after two years of pouring our hearts into it. And we’re beyond thrilled to share a special surprise on the cover — a quote from the one and only (Courteney Cox). Her iconic role as Monica in ‘Friends’ — the talented chef, perfectionist and loving control freak — mirrors so much of the dynamic between mum and me. And her true persona is even more beautiful, warm and generous.”
