In 1998, after years of friendship, four young Palestinians, living in Akka, Palestine, joined together and formed one of the first Arab hip hop groups: MWR. Mahmoud, Waseem, Richi and Charlie (dj Chuck) do not mince words. Their lyrics speak to their unique experience as Palestinians living within the borders of Israel. Essentially they live as third class citizens in their own homeland. Typical to young people all over the world, American hip-hop has been a great influence on the group's music, as has its Algerian counterparts. MWR uses music both as an effective method of self-expression as well as a tool to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians. Rapping almost entirely in Arabic, they sing about racism, poverty, drugs, the Israeli occupation, and the lack of support from the Arab governments. Their political focus and sharp, often biting lyrics, combined with strong hip-hop beats and an unforgettable stage presence, have earned them fans around the world.

"Because I'm an Arab" topped the charts for two weeks on a Haifa radio station, and MWR was named band of the year. The group has appeared on CNN, MTV EUROPE, and other television networks worldwide. Most recently, they performed in France. This was, in fact, their first trip outside of the country. Additionally they have appeared throughout Palestine - their performance at a rap festival in Nazareth last year drew thousands of people. For more info on the band, as well as links to some of their press, and songs you can download, go to http://goo.gl/nRG7c

A broad coalition of U.S. community, social activism and artist groups have collaborated to bring MWR to the country. We see this as an opportunity to build bridges between communities of resistance, and to bring energy and inspiration to these movements. As far as we know, this is the first time a Palestinian hip hop group has toured the US.