Busta’s Busted: “Arab Money”

by Special Correspondent Fatemeh Fakhraie

I know, I know. If you’re looking for socially conscious rap or hip hop, you don’t go to Busta Rhymes. But this still surprises me:

Maytha from KABOBfest has highlighted Rhyme’s song “Arab Money,” which has some disgustingly racist lyrics. Maytha brings up some great points about this video, namely, that it is a blatant example of the acceptability of anti-Arab racism.

Let me highlight some of Busta’s rhymes:

Women walkin around while security on camelback

Club on fire now — dunno how to act

Sittin in casino’s while im gamblin with Arafat

Money so long watch me purchase pieces of the Almanac

Ya already know i got the streets bust

While i make ya bow down makes salaat like a muslim

Camelback?! Gambling with a dead PLO leader?! Elsewhere, there are references to growing beards and Prince Al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family known for his success in business (his…uh…bread).

Busta Rhymes’ song (and its fakey Arabic chorus–shudder) is just one more instance of hip hop’s cultural appropriation of Middle Eastern music (producer Timbaland has been “sampling” Arabic songs for years: remember Jay Z’s “Big Pimpin”? That is Egyptian artist Hossam Ramzy’s “Khusara Khusara” that you hear).

Rhyme’s references to Yasser Arafat and Saudi princes create the illusion of ownership: not only are we expected to think that he and Browz understand/speak Arabic and understand Middle Eastern politics and geography, but we’re also supposed to think that he rolls with said Arabs.

When I first heard the song, I didn’t know whether to be angrier about the sexism (Rhymes makes reference to “Middle East women and Middle East bread”—things), the racism, or the casual name dropping in what Maytha calls “baseless stereotypes masquerading as knowledge.”

Not to mention the insensitivity of the lyric “See now I take trips to Baghdad,” as if it’s a vacation destination and not a war zone full of people whose lives have been ripped apart. It’s almost as if Rhymes thinks all Arab countries are as rich as Saudi Arabia and as glitzy as the Emirates.

And if you want to know how much Ron Browz knows about Arabs, listen to this interview:

One point I have to disagree with Maytha on is her assertion that “Elite Khaleeji Arabs need to get off their consumptive high horses and stop making us look bad because of their wanton bougie-ness and hideously hedonistic materialism.”

I disagree with this mostly because blame for the stereotype of the unimaginably wealthy Arab who spends his money unwisely can’t completely be leveled at rich Arabs. Rich white guys spend money on stupid crap all the time, but it doesn’t reflect badly on their race. I think it also does a bit of a disservice to wealthy Arabs who have poured their money into their communities through infrastructural development and investments. But I digress.

The major problem with Rhyme’s song is that it uses cultural appropriation to perpetuate stereotypes, which are not only absorbed by non-Arab audiences, but can be internalized by Arabs. Case in point: Maytha shows us Arab American hip hop artist/producer Noose’s reworking of “Arab money” into an equally stereotype-ridden video. Perhaps it was missing the icing, however: there wasn’t a belly dancer.

So now it’s an Arab man producing this stuff, adding the hookah and the keffiyeh and the (presumably) Arab woman as a video vixen. Noose is obviously aware of the stereotypes that Arabs and other Middle Eastern people face, evidenced from his own lyrics:

Along with the Feds thinkin’ I’m bin Laden

C’mon people, I’m not gonna blow up Manhattan

And yet, he’s just as quick to roll them right out:

Arab money serious

I might buy a pyramid

Maytha’s analysis of the song and its producer is a great one: she says that she “cannot see this as more than a cheap appropriation of hip hop gangsta posturing with a superficial ‘Arab’ twist.” I’d have to agree yet again.

Another thought that crosses my mind is that “Arab” is used not as an ethnicity but as an adjective for money. Which begs the question, what kind of money is “Arab” money? From Busta Rhymes’ and Noose’s songs, I gather it has something to do with an obscene amount of wealth, which is in itself a stereotype. But this is especially dangerous in that colloquialisms are easily twisted (please reference the history of the terms “gay” and “queer” for further examples), and “Arab” could (and in some cases has) become a pejorative term, used in negative ways just like “African”, “native” and “Jew” have been.

This is the problem with cultural appropriation: initially, things are appropriated for a reason (wearing a keffiyah to show solidarity with Palestinians, for example). But quickly, this same appropriation turns into empty name-dropping, outright stealing (here’s looking at you, Timbaland), and/or derogatory usage against the original “owner” of whatever was appropriated.

I can’t help but wonder whether Busta Rhymes will get any Arab money for this album.

If Maytha has anything to say about it, I’m guessing not.

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Trackbacks & Pings

Abu « Ijuswannachill on 21 Nov 2008 at 11:49 pm

[...] I went and read the article on Racialicious that he was referring to. Now Racialicious is a bit over excited about this matter, I feel. But [...]
insert witty title here « rising phoenix on 25 Nov 2008 at 7:54 am

[...] 1. I’ve been waiting to find some commentary on this catchy but messed up song, you know, “Arab Money” by Busta. The song has a hot beat…but is pretty racist. I found a good article at Racialicious: [...]
The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum on 29 Nov 2008 at 3:55 pm

[...] Rhymes releases a charming track called “Arab [...]
mixtape maestro (2.0) » Busta Rhymes featuring Ron Brownz, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, T-Pain and Akon “Arab Money (Remix)” on 01 Dec 2008 at 5:23 am

[...] worse, “Money” held a hard-to-ignore offensive tinge in it’s make-up that drew head-scratching reactions from a lot of [...]
What If A Middle Eastern Artist Released “Negro Money” | Birthplace Magazine on 04 Dec 2008 at 4:56 am

[...] others agree, some are fans letting Busta know some rules, perceived insensitivities within the song, and as with other controversial hip-hop songs, corporations are not being [...]
131 - My favourite music vid atm « emceedavid.com on 09 Dec 2008 at 11:13 am

[...] Article 1 [...]
What If A Middle Eastern Rapper Released “Negro Money” :: :::Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival::: on 10 Dec 2008 at 1:06 pm

[...] others agree, some are fans letting Busta know some rules, perceived insensitivities within the song, and as with other controversial hip-hop songs, corporations are not being [...]
Vogue Evolution Forever Part 2: The Racialicious Roundtable on America’s Best Dance Crew | Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 17 Sep 2009 at 11:05 am

[...] Michelle: With one of the crews dancing to Busta Rhymes’ incredibly racist song “Arab Money.” [...]

Comments

gatamala wrote:

What an asinine song. Appropriation cuts many ways and I’m glad you highlighted how people can internalize stereotypes.

That coat…

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 12:33 pm ¶
DEAF FEMINIST PUNK!!! wrote:

that goes to show u that even black people can be ignorant as white people.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 1:06 pm ¶
Atena wrote:

@DFP: I hope that in the wake of all of the Prop 8 discussions we can come to agree that no single racial group should be expected as a rule to be any more or less [insert adjective here] than any other racial group.

i.e., black people don’t have any reason to be less ignorant than white people. Ignorance does not correlate to race. Your comment seems to suggest that you expected otherwise.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 1:42 pm ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:

@DFP–yes, *some* black people can be as ignorant as *some* white people….who can be as ignorant as *some* Latin@s, *some* First Nation people, *some* Asian/APIA folks, and *some* mixed-race people.

@Fatemeh–I co-sign with gatamala: this is a great post on this Busta Rhyme/Noose foolishness. Thank you for calling this out.

@gatamala–you’re right: there are no words beyond “that coat,” is there?:-D

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 2:00 pm ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

@Atena: Thank you for this. That expectation grates on me.

Sweet. fancy. moses. AY-rab? Really? That’s how you want to go on the record?

This is one of those fucking talk what you know you know moments. My expectations are low-ish for hip hop in this regard – for popular music in general. the idea is always to jump on something that will differentiate what you’re doing very quickly, use it up, and move on – no research, no care, no hesitation if it will sell.

But this is kind of taking the cake. I mean, a quick Google search will tell you that Arafat’s been dead for a spell and a half!

The look on Busters face kind of says it all. It’s mockery.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 2:39 pm ¶
Jess wrote:

This is where I wouldn’t call this “appropriation” at all. It’s mockery. It’s insulting. Nothing else. “Appropriation” to me is just a nice way of saying that.

I don’t think it’s that hard to figure out whether someone is mocking someone else. Chief Wahoo is mockery. “Touch the Earth” — however silly and hackneyed it is (though granted, it was published in the 70s, it wasn’t so hackneyed for us 40-ish people when it came out) — isn’t.

On a side note, Busta Rhymes? Puh-leeze. If anyone came away with the impression the guy speaks Arabic or knows anything about Arabic culture, I have a bridge I want to sell ‘em and a can’t-lose game involving three cards and a table.

Expecting social consciousness of any stripe out of Busta is like expecting Anne Coulter to talk about keeping the discourse at a high level — it’s just not what he’s about. I can’t work up that much outrage in those circumstances, because my expectations are so low to begin with. If Gil Scott Heron had done it, I’d be mad. (Yes, I show my age).

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 3:23 pm ¶
Nina wrote:

first, before everyone starts blasting the song, i suggest you listen to it.
second, i don’t believe the artist means to mock arab culture or people. if anything, he’s showing esteem for wealthy arabs and arab americans. busta rhymes is the type of rap artist that focuses on money, cars, women, etc….the more stereotypical form of what most believe “hip hop” is. i think he was commenting on many arab americans’, as darker-skinned minorities, success in a very Caucasian dominated American society (business, etc).
“We gettin Arab Money”
– Arab money = extreme amounts of wealth, the wealth associated with oil and princes.

people need to understand that Arab money is a slang term, and while it’s not politically correct, you can’t use the term negatively. it’s “meant” as a complement.
…and you could then make the argument for good vs bad stereotypes (all blacks are good athletes vs. all whites are stingy, etc )….but i won’t get into that here =)

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 5:06 pm ¶
DJ Black Adam wrote:

I thought Timbaland stole music from India (not that it is any less theft).

Well, rappers have been trying to steal any culture and promote its negative sterotypes i.e. all the Gooti, Beani Segal, Escobar, etc., etc.

Another of hip-hops crimes against humanity….not to mention the production is horrible, somebody please find the Rza….

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 5:11 pm ¶
Dawud wrote:

It appears that “Ay-rab” is describing the amount of money, meaning that he’s dealing with BIG MONEY. Of course, he’s sptting out a stereotype that Arabs are all rich.

Of course, Busta Rhymes’ usage of “Ay-rab money” is boorish to say the least, but he freely has freely used the “n” word for over a decade as well. For the past 15 years, his lyrics about women haven’t been very respectful to women either. No one has ever taken Busta to be a “conscious” rapper like Chuck D or Krs-One. He’s ignorant, so this shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone. This is his track record.

Now, I don’t think that he has hatred towards Arabs either. They guy stated that he lives his life “according to Islam” and “the Qur’an” in more than one interview. I’ve never met a Blackamerican Muslim that has hatred towards Arabs although I’m sure there are some out there.

He must not be reading his Qur’an much with garbage music like this.

Also, I’m still chuckling at the “T-Pain” style hook with the fake Arabic words. That dude didn’t say one word in Arabic. LOL!

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 5:54 pm ¶
fathima wrote:

i’ll be honest, the song didn’t bother me, but only because busta isn’t someone i’d expect to ever have anything insightful to say about middle eastern politics. stupid vs offensive — it’s a problematic way of approaching music, i know.
that isn’t to say, however, that all hip hop is this asinine. dead prez, immortal technique, akala, etc are all examples of hip hop artists who comment intelligently (and beautifully) on international politics

but that Ron Browz interview?
now that is some eminently – perhaps even consciously? – stupid shit. the interview definitely demonstrates how much ignorance and orientalism informed the production of the music video. arguments about the appropriation of arab cultures takes on more validity here in light of Browz’ contention that the Ay-rab store-owners in Harlem constitute an adequate introduction into Arab ebonics.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 6:00 pm ¶
Fatemeh wrote:

Uh, Nina? Whether it’s meant as a compliment or not doesn’t matter, because it’s still a stereotype. And stereotypes (good or bad) cause harm and reduce an entire group to a flat, one-dimensional image, which isn’t fair, complimentary, or okay.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 6:09 pm ¶
rob wrote:

Well, i dont know much about the music but the whole guns, girls and money thing seems entirely tasteless and the small sample of the lyrics , making people bow in front of him etc. indicate a most unpleasant type of person. Dont give the man any more attention than you think he deserves.

I second nina though, that the lyrics seem more in appreciation than in disdain. ‘Arab money’ to mean extreme wealth IS a compliment. This despite the fact that arabs are massively poor in the general populations of their countries.

Also the feds likenening him to bin laden is i think less of an anti arab sentiment but self aggrandizment by comparing his reputation and power with that of the infamous terror mastermind.

I cant see how it is assumed, from the lyrics shown, that he speaks arabic. Why would you assume that because he talks about some arabs he claims to have met, he would be in any way conversant in their tongue?

These people smell money and if they think they can squeeze a bit more out of the kids with this they will give it a go. Of course its very cynical, but i cant see that he doesnt have a right to be influenced by and use aspects from other cultures. Im sure he has seen female security guards on camelback. It seems plausible enough. Camels are sturdy beasts and there are female security guards to be had in the middle east. Has he performed in any such countries, i wonder?

Some people have expressed suprise that a black man should be so culturaly insensitive but i dont think he is being at all offensive, unless you count the quality of the music or the hideousness of the coat.

Just ignore him, he’ll go away eventually!

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 7:17 pm ¶
LaurynX wrote:

I’ll take a minority opinion here and ask how one can really call using hooks/beat/styles “stealing” when it comes to music. Appropriation, sure. But stealing? I mean unless the original creators were not credited in the album credits, I don’t think “stealing” is the correct word. Culture shifts back and forth and I don’t think people who are outside of black/latino U.S. culture are banned from doing hiphop anymore than I think folks within U.S. hiphop are banned from looking beyond their own culture.

There are power differentials to be sure and I dislike appropriation as much as the next person. I agree that not researching and treading respectfully will make you look like an idiot, so I suppose that’s where I draw the line.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 7:25 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

Gosh, I can’t believe I’m chiming in here but…first, I wouldn’t necessarily classify Busta’s rhymes as gangsta-anything. He’s definitely part of the ‘money, cars, women and excess’ school of rap despite his issues in the news with firearms. As for ‘Arab money’, I agree with Nina’s claim that he is not equating it with an obscenity of wealth but is kind of a variation on an old theme that I’ve heard in his songs. Arab Money = Jewish Money (mentioned in “Pass the Courvoisier, Part I: we holdin’ Jewish money now/down to the credit card different from yours). I think he’s actually venerating this type of wealth and name-checking it as Arab (or Jewish) because it is precisely the type of wealth/currency/cache African Americans *wish* they could amass. This is not to say that the song or ideas behind it are not problematic and I’m certainly no Busta Rhymes scholar (while he’s one of the few mainstream rappers I tolerate, I only listen to the radio edits), I think that part of Fatemeh’s criticism wasn’t quite accurate.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 7:32 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

Forgive the lack of coherence in those last two sentences, forgot to include a ‘but’ before the final clause.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 7:35 pm ¶
forsoothsayer wrote:

Big Pimpin samples Abdel Halim Hafez…I can forward someone the song if they want.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 8:34 pm ¶
laura wrote:

i thought it was abdel halim hafez who wrote “khosara”?

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 9:02 pm ¶
Sophia wrote:

I like this post, but have to point out that the sample that Jay-Z utilized on “Big Pimpin” was actually from Abdel Halim Hafez’ “Khosara,” from the late 1950’s.

Ironically, Jay-Z used a rerecording of Hafez’ hit song to avoid paying royalties – Arabs with money, huh!

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 9:40 pm ¶
maytha from k-fest wrote:

thanks for the engagement of my argument and the plug! but i stand up my censure of the ruinous expenditures by Khaleej elite-although, I do agree, that rich White “old money” trust fund babies and their CEO parents have even more nauseating and, at times, destructive uses of their wealth.
however, my point wants not to provide a comparative or a superlative for that matter. I simply wanted to step out of the self-victimizing bubble Arabs sometimes take full opportunity to inflate. Perhaps it is also my frustration with a community I was so intimately exposed to and enraptured in for more than 20 years of my life coming out. I have seen the ugly side that goes hand in hand with “infrastructure building”

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 9:50 pm ¶
Kiah wrote:

I’m gonna have to agree with Fatima on this one. Stereotypes are reductive and impede more comprehensive understandings of the groups they pretend to characterize.

Which is not to say I think Busta’s intent is to use “Arab” as derogatory, but his music and lyrics reach a lot of people. The implications of the images evoked in the song is an important consideration. One that I also wouldn’t expect, unfortunately, Busta Rhymes to make.

And I just wanna say I think it’s important to keep the discussion to specifics. Generalizing to the level of “these people” and all of hip-hop leads to the same kind of stereotyping that, in my opinion, is just incorrect as using “Arab” as synonymous with excessive amounts of wealth.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 10:35 pm ¶
Fatemeh wrote:

Everyone, thanks for your comments!

@ Maytha: thanks for your input. I’d love to see you do a piece on the issue.

@ Lauryn X, Laura & forsoothsayer: Hafez wrote the original song, but from what I heard, it was Ramzy’s version Jay Z used. I could be wrong. (shrug) Sophia’s point stands: stealing is stealing! The artists “sampled” were not credit on the albums Timbaland produced, including Jay Z’s and some of Aaliyah’s.

Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 11:21 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

How do power differentials play out in POC on POC cultural appropriation? One could argue that black Americans have more power to define their own public image than Arab-Americans and have a much larger population size, but Arab-Americans, as a group are more successful financially than black Americans, and until 9/11, were considered something of a “model minority” nearing “off-white” status. Things like this present the possibility that black American rappers may have more cultural power to cement stereotypes about Arabs than Arabs have to dispel them — even taking into account that it’s always easier to swim with the tide (feeding preexisting, widely known, centuries-old stereotypes) than against it — even while Arabs remain more financially successful and higher (if significantly less so than in the past) on the unspoken racial hierarchy.

Furthermore, where does assimilation end and appropriation begin? Take DJ Khaled, for instance… is he appropriating a 2-dimensional caricature of black culture, or is he the natural result of generations of blacks and Arabs living together side by side?

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 12:32 am ¶
Layla wrote:

Just chiming in to say that it was Abdel Halim Hafez who originally sang “Khosara,” but Baligh Hamdy was the one who composed it (and whom Jay-Z & Timbaland ripped off).

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 12:33 am ¶
maytha from k-fest wrote:

nina,

it’s more than it just being a “slang term.” Like I said in my post, it’s an inaccurate slang term. The average per capita income in the Arab world is about $2100-2300. Now tell me, do you think that’s the kind of bread busta or other rappers like him are looking to stack? I mean, i know people who down 2Gs during a night at the club-the same amount of money the average “a-rab” makes in a year!

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 5:06 am ¶
katie wrote:

*AHEM*

read what Busta has to say on the matter: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7821/title.busta-rhymes-discusses-motown-deal-and-arab-money

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 6:52 am ¶
BrownLady wrote:

While I agree with Nina about that the term ‘Ay-rab’ is used to describe money in a similar way as ‘Jewish’ money, that still doesn’t explain the rest of the problematic associations in the song. So the title is slang or even a ‘compliment’, but what about everything else he references? Are the images he uses ‘natural’ to the the term ‘Arab’ money? Granted, I don’t think Busta is a brilliant cultural icon or anything, but his images are not new–the same kind of Orientalized crap we’ve seen before. Which I would imagine was Fatemah’s point in the first place.

And on an aside, if you can’t speak Arabic, why fake it in your music–it’s not that hard to hire someone who speaks it if you want to use the language legitimately. There’s no excuse for it in this day and age–if you want to talk about ‘their’ money, hire ‘their’ expertise… whatever that means.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 8:22 am ¶
rob wrote:

LaurenX, i quite agree. Music, once it has been created cannot be said to be the property of any one culture or group. Of course there may be legal issues with actual tunes or lyrics but the actual style becomes the property of anybody who cares to listen to it. The resulting mix of ideas is the very thing that has brought us the global wealth of music we all enjoy today. Wherever we are in the world the music around us is the result of maybe tens of thousands of years of musical multiculturalism!

Fatemeh, Stereotypes are a part of life for everybody on the planet. You will never eradicate it as it seems to be a system of information gathering that our brains are hard wired to accept. I assume it is something to do with our distant hunter-gatherer past.

If you saw me on the street you could assume certain things about me because of my appearance or activity. Going purely by my appearance and using your knowledge of stereotypes that might apply to me you would be able to correctly guess many aspects of my personality, but you would be suprised by others.

So you see i think it is futile to prevent people from seeing or using stereotypes but the aim should be that people are kind and understanding to one another. I always keep an open mind as to who a person actually is and although i stereotype people all day long walking around the street when i actually engage with someone it is with an entirely clean slate that i approach the conversation.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 9:19 am ¶
CVT wrote:

Just some quick clarifications on the hip-hop front:

“Hip-hop” and “rap” are not the same thing. Busta Rhymes raps, which is only one aspect of hip-hop culture. To refer to any of the popular rap out these days as “hip-hop” is inaccurate, as they clearly lack the rest of the qualities that are meant to be part of the original intent of hip-hop (most specifically, “KNOWLEDGE/CONSCIOUSNESS”).

So let’s not start blaming “hip-hop” for the woes of popular culture. Popular rap is mostly disgusting, but that’s why real fans of hip-hop listen to folks like Dead Prez, Mos Def, or the Blue Scholars who actually think consciously about the world around them.

It’s like comparing Racialicious to a 13 year-old’s MySpace page. NOT the same thing.

And, honestly – if you read Racialicious regularly, you NEED to be listening to Blue Scholars.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 11:05 am ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

Hmm… and what does it say that they didn’t get someone that knows Arabic to provide a hook? First, it gives the lie to the premise — that Busta is “down” with Arabs in any discernible way, and second, it makes an assumption — that people that know that that’s not Arabic, or Farsi, or anything but jibberish, would not be prospective consumers of this song. So, he seems to be somewhat aware that the stereotypes he’s peddling are to people who need to hear them the least — and did he say “camel-toe!?!” However the strange thing may be that he may honestly feel (for what that’s worth) that he’s promoting unity by reminding people of positive Arab stereotypes after a period of so much fear and negativity. Unfortunately, the reality is that promoting the idea of wealthy Arabs coasting through sand dunes in Ferraris and dripping with multicolored diamonds when the U.S. stock market just fell again and people are feeling nigh unprecedented agitation over our dependence on foreign oil sources just serves to foster more resentment and distrust (not to take the primary blame off of those who have those feelings).

Addendum: Just read the interview… apparently, my hunch regarding Busta’s beliefs was somewhat correct.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 11:45 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

@kate: That was some weak, but expected, bullshittery. And just shows a dangerously weak understanding of the amount of monies most men and women in the Arab world are able to amass and pass down to their families.

His intent may not be malicious but it certainly lacks respect. Like stomping through someone’s foyer in muddy shoes. You still mess up the floor – even if you didn’t mean to.

My understanding of the ‘Jewish’ money ‘ish was that they were referring to dollars acquired from actual Jewish backers. Not “money like all those Jews have – you know, lots.” But I could be wrong.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 12:05 pm ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:

@ rob–

Fatemeh, Stereotypes are a part of life for everybody on the planet. You will never eradicate it as it seems to be a system of information gathering that our brains are hard wired to accept. I assume it is something to do with our distant hunter-gatherer past.

This “it’s-hopeless-entrenched” socio-biological reasoning doesn’t work, rob, for the same reason it’s doesn’t work when a person tries to argue that Black people are “natural athletes” and are “naturally rhythmic” due evolutionary processes taking place on the African continent during the dawning of humankind or women are “natural nurturers” due to the hunter-gatherer days where women were the gatherers. Stererotyping is not the “natural” order of things no more than Black folks being *naturally* athletic and rhythmic and women being *naturally* caring. The reasoning fails to take in the concept of human will and choice and societal influences on people.

And are you really sure that *everybody* stereotypes? Have you interviewed everybody on this planet to *know* this for a fact?

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 12:15 pm ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

@ DivergentDana: That is dangerously on point.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 1:42 pm ¶
Jha wrote:

Fatemeh, Stereotypes are a part of life for everybody on the planet. You will never eradicate it as it seems to be a system of information gathering that our brains are hard wired to accept. I assume it is something to do with our distant hunter-gatherer past.

Because, of course, we’re still as simple-minded and as ignorant, without information at our fingertips, as we were back then during hunter-gatherer days.

FFS. Stereotypes are okay if you’re a simple-minded person with no capability to appreciate nuance and without the desire/capacity to question them. Please give people more credit than that.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 3:03 pm ¶
rob wrote:

sigh… I was trying to point out that immediate judgements based on appearance is inevitable. Is this animal dangerous, does this spot look good to camp or find water? First appearances can be deceiving. But sometimes they arent. As for your examples TCS, It is true, by my experience that black people are on average more rythmically gifted than whites or asians, women are generally more nurturing than men, but what of it? I am an atrocious dancer but im sure i can dance better than millions of black people, but in general persons of african descent are better at dancing. I am definitely more nurturing than many women, but women are generally more nuturing than men. Just because a stereotype exists it doesnt mean that everybody will fit into a neat little category. Dont judge a book by its cover.

JHA We certainly are biologically virtually identical to our distant ancestors. Cavemen had the same feelings and emotions as we do today. Of couse we have more information at our finger tips and knowledge of the world but in the second that you first see someone you will make some snap judgements based purely on appearance. Dont pretend that you dont. If you saw a large bald white man in dirty bike leathers with a goatee and lots of tattoos you could make valid guesses as to what he might be like in some respects. Ooh he looks scary! But many men who dress like this are really big pussycats!

As i said before the important thing is that people are open minded and approach their daily interactions with people in a pleasant and good spirited way. Trying to eradicate stereotypes will get you nowhere fast. Better to concentrate on getting along and not worrying too much about what others may or may not think about you before they have even met you. If you look like a dope smoking hippy or a gangsta thug, dont be suprised if people assume you smoke pot or are involved in criminal gangs.

I never suggested people should take stereotypes as being the definitive way to assess the personality of someone. That is the diametric opposite to my position.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 6:50 pm ¶
em wrote:

i think the song and busta’s whole response to it just shows that he’s a wee bit ignorant on the middle east, and just as much of an american chauvenist as anyone. we talk a lot about privilege on here, and i think american privilege comes into play here. when you combine american privilege and ignorance, you get brilliant clusterfuckery like this.

on the appropriation note, i’m wondering whether other cultures–arab, latin, european, immigrant communities around the world–using hip hop as a form of expression would be considered appropriation? when i was in germany, there was this group, outlandish, and i think they were comprised of arab immigrants living in europe,. they definitely had a hip hop element to their music.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 6:53 pm ¶
Akbar wrote:

The problem is clearly the medium. Its a 3 to 5 minute song meant to shake butts.
He has apparently taken every little empty image associated with Arabs that is floating around the global market and smashed them together into a crowded capsule of audio candy meant for immediate consumption.
Challenging, insightful, deep,
Don’t expect to apply any of the aforementioned adjectives to this sort of commodity.
While this song is obviously shallow and problematic to think that it will contribute to further resentment and rage towards Arabs is bordering on the hysterical.
I think most folks will understand that “Arab” money refers to super rich oil Sheikhs, who are not above mockery, reproach or condemnation any more than our crazed, riding by the seats of their pants, rodeo show conducting, oil rich jumping jigawatts happy for black gold, oil cowboys down in Texas are.
BTW, the “theft” of the beat is something that has been gone over before ad nauseum.
Hip hop samples, it takes from whatever is floating out there in the audio stream. Bali drums, Jesuit chanting, 40’s folk rhythms, slick back 70″s gospel, etc. whatever, whenever and however. It rips sections of whole tracks and patches them together to create something anew. The consummate artform of the post-modern age. For hip hop, nothing is so sacred and unique that it can’t be reworked into something new. It doesn’t always work but its the nature of a medium that arose from Djing among young people who didn’t have much access to traditional forms of musical expressi0n.
I recommend Paul Miller’s Rhythm Science for an insightful meditation on the practice.

DD at 22: Good questions that are I think would be far more worthy to discuss.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 9:10 pm ¶
Restructure! wrote:

forsoothsayer,

Can you forward it to me? I believe you, but I just want to hear the original.

email.restructure [at] gmail.com

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 9:14 pm ¶
L. wrote:

em:

I would say yes to your last question about appropriation. Anytime somebody uses elements that originate from or are closely associated with another culture for their own use, it is cultural appropriation. That doesn’t mean that all appropriation is offensive or exploitative. Appropriation is 100% unavoidable and necessary.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 11:14 pm ¶
Alison wrote:

On a “monetary” note (Do you like my pun?) many hip-hop artists are so insanely wound up about music rights and such but so many songs have samples from artists worldwide. I wonder if they get permission for the beats and melodies they use. For the record, I thought “Big Pimpin” ruined a great song.

Posted 20 Nov 2008 at 11:58 pm ¶
Harold M. Clemens wrote:

so, wait. Busta Rhymes’ tune is an example of “anti-Arab racism” because he (supposedly) thinks all, or most, Arabs are… RICH?! if that’s the case, African people around the world have been racist for centuries because we’ve thought the same issh about White folks for who knows how long.
beyond that, “wealthy” is a relatively nice stereotype to have. it sure as hell beats criminal, promiscuous, lazy, savage, and dependent. I’m waiting for a jam with a hook, “I can dance like a Black dude” or, better yet, “I’m gettin’ ‘black folks’ money.’” imagine that!!
I see how Bus’ song isn’t the most politically correct production, but racism? that’s tall.
and, if we’re going to get all sociological ‘n stuff, truthfully, to young black kids Arabs probably do appear to have money. the ones they see own a disproportionate amount of the stores in THEIR neighborhoods- a feat many people that look like they do haven’t achieved- or are flossin’ on tv.
is the characterization of Arabs as uniformly wealthy broadly accurate? of course not. but is it representative of the world view of a poor Black kid from Brooklyn, which Busta Rhymes was formerly? perhaps.
should the rapper be smart enough to realize what his song insinuates? arguable. but, remember, by definition racism requires the racist to deem his subject inferior. kinda hard to do when you’re admitting publicly and without any negative connotation that you’re trying to achieve a status he has that you don’t yet.
I get the beef, but I don’t concur with the conclusion.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 12:00 am ¶
Joseph wrote:

Corny fucking Busta-two steps-away-from-being-Coolio Rhymes can eat my broke Arab ass.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 1:22 am ¶
Jess wrote:

I’m going to defend — a wee bit– the concept that stereotyping is entrenched in human beings — but NOT that it is inevitable.

What do I mean? Humans evolved in an environment where we existed in extended family groups. “Stereotyping” is one of those strategies people figured out to tell if the person you see is part of your group. That is, we needed a quick-and-dirty way to say “Are you part of my group? Do I give you food? Groom you?” In a savannah that’s a pretty important question.

Now, as humans got smarter, two things happened: we figured all kinds of ways to ornament ourselves and we figured out how to make “in-group” apply to more than just extended family. Those two innovations were pretty important. That’s why different cultures that share similar environments can have such wildly divergent ways of dressing.

A good example is Judaism’s dietary laws and taboo against certain kinds of body modification. While there are health-related reasons for it, a lot of the reason was to say “we’re different from those other people over there who eat shellfish.” Meanwhile, the people right next door raised pigs and thought it wasn’t a party unless you had a ham.

As human groups got bigger, we needed a way to expand the definitions of “in-group” to include more people. Hence the social/linguistic (rather than biological) cues we have all adopted — that is, unlike other animals who use scent or markings — “hardware”, we use “software” — how someone speaks, customs or behavior, all of which are really flexible.

That’s why we can have communities of more than about 300 people, which is near the upper limit for a non-industrial society with little division of labor that operates on consensus (the “headman” system).*

Remember, humans aren’t naturally brothers, anymore than our chimp relatives are. Have you seen what a group of chimps will do to another group if they get the chance? It’s pretty grim.

But that’s the thing. While humans love to categorize (it’s part of what makes us as smart as we are) we can also get beyond it, we have the capacity to include others in the in-group. We’re social animals, after all, which is one reason people want to be liked (unless you are a sociopath or something).

If you harness those two things: the desire to be liked and the ability we have to make the in-group bigger, then you have a powerful tool against the kind of stereotyping people are concerned about. It’s all about taking natural human capacities and redirecting them.

And for all the savagery that chimps exhibit to each other — I mean, ripping the arm off another chimp is pretty intense — when times are tough chimps also have the capacity to build a new “troop” and rejigger their social structure.

If chimps can do it, I think there is some hope for humans.

*the upper limits have been observed most recently among the Yanomamo people in Brazil/Venezuela, where villages tended to split up after hitting about 300-500 people or so. The reason is pretty simple — once you get past that you start having family groups that aren’t closely related anymore, and have less reason to cooperate. Minus a “government” people can agree on it’s simpler for a group to follow another headman and go live someplace else before things get violent. A similar dynamic appeared in Papua New Guinea, where village sizes of 500 were rather large. The work among both groups did a lot to explain why egalitarian societies in the past tended to stay small.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 1:52 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

@ Joseph: I don’t know . . . I heard you were rich. Which made me feel positively about you. You should check your pockets again. You’re rich. I live in Brooklyn and I’m black. Give me some Arab money.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 11:49 am ¶
James wrote:

this should surprise no one. Rappers constantly mock african and african-american culture…did you all think that middle-eastern culture would somehow be sacred?

Rappers of the braggadocio style always insenuate relationships with world leaders and international celebrities. Rappers have insenuated relationships with American presidents as well…I don’t take it as as much racist as it is ignorant.

Ok…the fake arabic hook is definitely racist….no denying that….the lyrics are reflective of the braggadocio style being dropped on middle eastern culture. To busta a saudi prince is no different than implying a relationship w/ barrack obama or president bush.

middle eastern women and middle east bread is no different than him referring to american women as “chickens” and american money as “getting paid”.

This is not specific to middle eastern culture…this is typical braggadocio rap….money and women and no regions culture will be spared.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 1:39 pm ¶
calea wrote:

Punjabi music was big for a while in hip hop. That’s some catchy ass folk music.

I’m not sure about the notion that hip hop can “steal” another genre’s style. Hip hop is sampling. That’s what we do. It’s about recontextualizing music to say something new.

What about how rappers were flashing euros for a while? That wasn’t disrespectful.

“Sittin in casino’s while im gamblin with Arafat”

It’s a verse… maybe he just doesn’t know Arafat’s dead? I read it as solidarity with the PLO [yeah you know me].

Is Busta known to be a racist fucker? I don’t really follow his shit, so I apologize if I’m missing something obvious.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 3:11 pm ¶
calea wrote:

After listening to the song and the reggae remix, I think they were just lazy putting it together. It would have been better to actually go find a real Saudi artist to collaborate with instead of using that stupid synth track + vocoder. But that would have been a lot more work.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 3:26 pm ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

I would have a hard time believing that someone trying to show solidarity with the PLO would be unaware of Arafat’s death.

It’s a list of Things I Associate With Arabs to the tune of Sounds I Associate With Arabs.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 5:00 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

Harold M. Clemens: “but, remember, by definition racism requires the racist to deem his subject inferior.”

Not true. Look at the strong, virile black buck stereotype, or the clever, thrifty Jewish stereotype. Furthermore, there’s the blonde/shiksa goddess stereotype — if someone believes that a group is roundly superior to his/her own, they’re being racist towards their own group, as well as other groups that don’t “measure up” to the exalted group.

Akbar: “While this song is obviously shallow and problematic to think that it will contribute to further resentment and rage towards Arabs is bordering on the hysterical.”

Not the song by itself, but the cultural meme within it, in combination with the world in which it’s perpetuated. If pop culture existed in a bubble, where the ideas behind it came solely from the imaginations of its creators, it would be less of an issue, but even creative types work by grabbing onto things that already exist. Some of these things are good, and some are bad.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 5:56 pm ¶
Joseph wrote:

@A.D. Nix

Come again now?

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 6:52 pm ¶
calea wrote:

“It’s a list of Things I Associate With Arabs to the tune of Sounds I Associate With Arabs.”

Good point.

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 7:07 pm ¶
RChoudh wrote:

I think that even though this song is perpetuating a “positive stereotype” (Arabs are rich) it’s still doing a disservice to the people it’s stereotyping. The ones being stereotyped may start having a false sense of pride about themselves, which may lead them to negatively stereotype about other groups! Also I agree with the poster that said in this time of economic crisis and endless wars with the Middle East this song may only foster more resentment among Americans towards Arabs/Muslims. And this song is just another example of Westerners (in this case Busta Rhymes) feeling entitled to talk about Arabs/Muslims instead of letting Arabs/Muslims talk for themselves.

Posted 22 Nov 2008 at 3:02 am ¶
Sobia wrote:

@RChoudh:

“And this song is just another example of Westerners (in this case Busta Rhymes) feeling entitled to talk about Arabs/Muslims instead of letting Arabs/Muslims talk for themselves.”

Doesn’t Busta identify as Muslim? In which case the only out-group he’s talking about is Arabs.

@A.D. Nix:

What does “It’s a list of Things I Associate With Arabs to the tune of Sounds I Associate With Arabs” mean? I’m a little confused.

Posted 22 Nov 2008 at 11:20 am ¶
Monica wrote:

Just for the record…it is correct that a Hossam Ramzy arrangement and recording of “Khusara Khusara” (”Loss”) is used in Big Pimpin’. However, the song was originally composed by Baligh Hamdy for the Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez, who sang it in a film in the 1950s. Baligh Hamdy should get credit (and presumably his estate should get royalties from Jay Z…).

Posted 22 Nov 2008 at 3:10 pm ¶
amber wrote:

The song that Timbaland sampled is by Abdel Halim Hafez not Hossam Ramzay. Its a song from the 1950’s and its called: Khosara.

Just wanted to clear that up.

He also stole parts of a song by Warda called: Batwanes Beek.

Posted 22 Nov 2008 at 3:40 pm ¶
Restructure! wrote:

How is this not racist? The hook that pretends that jibberish is Arabic is racist. The Busta dance they do in the video (embedded in the post) looks like racist mockery to me.

Ron Browz fails in so many ways in that YouTube video.

Posted 22 Nov 2008 at 9:57 pm ¶
RChoudh wrote:

@ Sobia

I didn’t know that Busta was Muslim. Thanks for clearing that up.

Posted 22 Nov 2008 at 11:32 pm ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

@Sobia: Apologies – could you be more specific about the point of confusion?

@Joseph: I’m kidding.

Posted 24 Nov 2008 at 12:16 pm ¶
Sobia wrote:

@A.D. Nix:

haha…I am totally out to lunch about this but I don’t know what the whole thing means. But it’s a side point so no worries about explaining if it’s a long explanation

Posted 24 Nov 2008 at 2:02 pm ¶
Joseph wrote:

@A.D. Nix
Okay. Wasn’t sure, thought I’d ask.
Peace.

Posted 24 Nov 2008 at 9:02 pm ¶
Nacho wrote:

i had no idea Timbaland sampled that many Arabic songs. i just remember when “Big Pimpin’” was big and my mom kinda hilariously getting excited when it came on the radio, having recognized the hook from the original “Khosara” that she’d heard as a classic growing up in Egypt (and also not quite processing that her beloved melody had been turned into a song about pimpin’).

the composer actually did sue, but since they’d re-recorded it and sampled less than 8 bars of music royalties were denied. what bothers me most about all this is that someone like abdel halim hafez — a hugely popular, respected, beloved embodiment of the beauty, sophistication, and integrity of the golden age of modern egyptian/arabic music, who moved souls so deeply across the Middle East with his music — is so disrespected and his legacy (and egyptian culture and dignity along with it) made so negligible at the hands of Timbaland that he and his label don’t even find it worth consulting the composer, let alone crediting his work. it says a lot — i think it has a lot to do with arrogance and the simple lack of expectation that they would be challenged by such “periphery” foreign subjects with little comparable leverage or power.

i used the jay-z/timbaland sample as an example in a paper i wrote last year for a college media criticism class on american “world music” journalism, which touches on some other issues tied to it:

” Similar indifference is evident in journalism that takes interpretations of “world music” as an amorphous, all-encompassing category to an extreme, indiscriminately lumping together disparate genres as a singular, vaguely “Eastern” sound. A prime example of this is found in music reviews of hip hop artist Jay-Z’s 1999 hit “Big Pimpin’,” which heavily sampled 1957’s “Khosara” by Abdel Halim Hafez, an Egyptian singer who “achieved Elvis Presley-like stature” in his home country. The album’s liner notes credit nearly every sampled hook except for “Big Pimpin’,” “which is silent about the song’s musical origins.” Shirking the obligation of extra research due to the omission, music journalists have peppered their reviews with erroneous descriptions of the composition as far-flung as“a South-Seas flavoured groove that’s a happy musical marriage of Brooklyn and Bali” and “Bollywood-wigged NOLA bounce stutter-stepping,” according to an article in Egypt’s Al-Ahram Weekly called “Pimpin’ a Classic.” “

Posted 29 Nov 2008 at 5:04 am ¶
salman wrote:

Muslims insulted. Open letter to Busta, et all.

http://www.mujahideenryder.net/2008/11/29/busta-rhymes-t-pain-akon-and-swissbeatz-recite-quran-in-arab-money-remix/

Posted 30 Nov 2008 at 12:57 am ¶
Abeda wrote:

The song Arab Money is pretty insensitive. It’s racist and stereotypical. But I doubt many people heard the second/remix version to this song! It uses the very holy terms BISMILLAHI RAHMANIRAHIM and ALHUMDULLILAHI RABIYALALAMIN. Using words or phrases that have a holy meaning, especially phrases that begin most of the Islamic prayers, with the combination of curse words and sexual/physical references is completely inconsiderate and disrespectful to many if not all Muslims. Listen to the remix version and tell me you don’t feel the same way!

Posted 13 Dec 2008 at 7:48 pm ¶
Julie wrote:

My sister says that when it’s played on the radio, it’s censored so that the word “Arab” doesn’t appear, but that you can tell there is a word missing. I found the song and looked it up because someone was talking about the “Arab Money dance” (which is the really awful and goofy “dance” in the video), and was totally mortified. I showed it to my sister, and she had the same reaction. Since then, she’s been on the lookout for it on the radio because I never listen to it.

Posted 27 Dec 2008 at 3:22 am ¶
Anonymous wrote:

The reason the chorus doesn’t say any real arab words is because people complained that the original chorus came directly from the Quran and that’s not allowed in the practice of islam *(but real hip hop heads know that the exact same verse from busta’s original chorus can be heard in the opening line of Nas’ song ’smokin’ but nas was somehow given a free pass…

Posted 05 Jan 2009 at 8:01 pm ¶
John R wrote:

On top of everything else: Rhyming “bin Laden” with “Manhattan”?

*face palm*

Posted 12 Jan 2009 at 1:30 pm ¶
الاخضاري wrote:

This is a classic example of ignorance. This proves the hate that americans have for muslims and arabs. Look i grew up here and i can tell you that americans dont mask their ignorance. They mask their hate. This is a classical american genre ” he dosent mean to offend, all he is saying is this, he didnt say that he said this.” This is the same thing when southerners in america call each other niggers and tell people that a nigger is someone who is just stupid or disenfranchised,lowly and despised and not neccassarily a black person.Ex:senator robert byrd”white niggers”. don imus”nappy heads”

carlos mencia who is anything but close to being an american makes too many offensive remarks also. They all fall short of a thing call respect. Thats it. they dont care if you are offended or not. that is why they tell u to relax and not be offended because they are low and want you to be low too and not to think so high of your religion and culture. they want u to adopt a western mentality which is religion and culture is not that important in life but being ignorant and offensive and loud and rude and secular is priority. They dont see these things as bad. they beliefs are different from ours were shyness is faith and offensive behaviour is jahily; ref. abu dhar and bilal hadeeth

For those arabs and muslims who are knowledeable about their culture because even though we are all different nations as allah made us we are still ordered to be loyal to being part of the nation of Muhammad(عليه سلام) . He was sent to bring us from this darkness and he said that love of him is faith. he said love of the Ansar(رضي الله عنهم) is faith. ALLAH said in his book المؤمنون بعضهم اولياء ببعض
انما المؤمنون إخوة
Muhammad (عليه سلام)said be brothers .
he said the believers are like a building to one another.
All brothers and sisters in islaam I swear by allah that this song is not only offensive to arabs but it is offensive to our non-arab family, it is offensive to our religion, it is offensive to our prophet, it is offensive to our lord the most high who never begat a son nor was he ever begotten. Where do you think most of our cultural traits come from. do not let these american non-believers break you up into groups and tell you that there is a difference between arab and muslim because what did our prophet say لا فرقة بين عجمي و عربي الا في تقوي
taqwa is the only difference between an arab and non-arab. other than that there is no difference. so how much then is there any difference between an arab inwhich Muhammad عليه سلام peace upon him his family his companions and those who follow him until the day of judgement is one and that of the religion.
they have no argument. the are just simply being themselves. haters. they dont like you because they know what your religion call for. لا اله الا الله
therefore their god or whatever they hold high in life must take a backseat because ALLAH denies all religions, gods, or dieties except himself. This is what the prophets came with and they were hated on too because they did not put high,worship,follow or submit to they way of the disbelievers.

dont let these people gas you up.
arabic is the language of the quran the very words of ALLAH but negro rhymes wants to mimic this beautiful language like a tumtumani.

massing large amounts of wealth for nothing or to do as busted rhymes is filthy and totally against islaam. If he wants to mimic arabs that partake then let him keep arabs and arabic out his mouth. other than that may allah break his back for his venemous speech. does not matter what he intended. it is mockery of the religion because what he is talking about is not just blood arabs, its ethnic arabs,non-arabs,muslims worldwide,the religion, the prophet and his lord. He dragged everybody in this.
تتخذوا الذين اتخذوا دينكم هزوا اولياء
وَقَدْ نَـزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا
when serbs were killing ethnic albanians in bosnia .who sent most of the help from outside. it was these arabs the ones who bustard rimes is mocking.
Look for yourself. straight knowledge from the haters themselves

“It is estimated that the number of volunteers numbered about 4,000[1] with the majority coming from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Algeria and Saudi Arabia. In addition to the Mujahideen volunteers, there were also several hundred Iranian Revolutionary Guards supporting the Bosnian government during the war. [2] Many of the Bosnian Mujahideen were supported financially from Saudi Arabia.”

go read about the arab mujahideen in chechniya helping our sheshen brothers against the filthy stanky rus احرقهم الله who rape and murder our people.

afghanistan
somalia
Philippines
ASK YOURSELF THIS, IF IT REALLY WAS AN ARAB THING WOULD THESE ARABS REALLY BE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER PLACES?

Posted 15 Jan 2009 at 4:37 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:

If the song doesn’t seem to be racist to some bloggers, then why couldn’t he have said “negro money” or “white money” Lets see the reaction he would get then. But when it comes to Arabs its okay for an ingnorant and uneducated rapper to mispronounce the word Arab and shed negative light on the Middle East.

Posted 26 Jan 2009 at 7:28 pm ¶
Ashley wrote:

Well argued. What college did you go to? You didn’t go to Mac did you?
Ashley

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 12:45 am ¶
Adebanke wrote:

I think the greater issue that no one has been addressed is what the Arab words in the song translate to. How many Christians would be ok with a rapper taking words sacred to their belief and inserting it in a song to shake booties to in the club. The whole act was demeaning on several levels, and not just to Arabs, but to Muslims without respect to race, color or national origin.

Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 6:59 pm ¶
Amelia wrote:

s a non-muslim who lived in Dubai for ten years, I feel offended by this song and wish Americans would become a little more educated on political issues in the Middle East before commenting on them especially in the mainstream media. Dubai has worked hard to acheive a balance between western and Islamic values and made non-muslims welcome in the city and allowed them to practice the religion of their choice to create harmony amongst different ethnic groups. Having almost run out of oil, much of the money has been generated from hard work, trade and tourism. Gambling is illegal in Dubai and the reference to Arafat shows ignorance and insensitivity. I hope these rappers show some respect and appologise, such comments towards their own race would not be tolerated in the US.

Posted 05 Apr 2009 at 10:01 am ¶
KDubb wrote:

Adebanke:
I respect your views and you have placed them without hostility. However, I respectfully believe your point is moot.

For starters, Christians sing Biblical verses in songs themselves and they’d be thrilled to hear it in popular music.

In western culture, our music and television is laced with references to Christianity. Just think about the song Kanye West – Jesus Walks, or all the mockery make of Christianity in the Simpsons or South Park (Popular shows featuring Christian characters/themes). How about the cross being a fashion symbol, encrusted with diamonds and gold hanging around every rapper’s neck?… How offensive!

(Cont.)

Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 7:45 pm ¶
KDubb wrote:

When I heard this song I instantly loved it. And I think if anything this is a compliment to Arabs and by extension, Muslims. I like songs that mention my race or culture as wealthy. You probably should too.
(Part II)

This song is a work of art that is enjoyed by many westerners and if anything it gives them an appreciation of middle eastern culture.

Personally, I have always liked rap and techno songs with Arabic featured heavily. It is a beautiful language and very melodic.

Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 7:45 pm ¶
KDubb wrote:

Also, here is a clip of Busta speaking about his Islamic faith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm0dhky6wFk&feature=related

I think that should temper anyone who blames him of being anti-muslim.

Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 7:53 pm ¶
johnny boy wrote:

im surprised anyone could even argue about it…im 15, i like the song, i know all the lyrics. i dont really pay attention to the lyrics i like the beat and the dance thats the cool part of the song..i dont think those who like the song like it for what it says but the dance and beat.

Posted 24 Apr 2009 at 9:20 am ¶
Anonymous wrote:

Anybody know the original sample used in the chorus of ‘Arab Money’?

Posted 19 May 2009 at 1:36 pm ¶
Kaitlin wrote:

Busta Rhymes is a rapper who shows the state of hip-hop at it’s worst moments in such an over the top, trying to be funny way that it’s hard not to ignore him. I bet he’s been saying for years they had to do a middle eastern song cause someone else did. He’s not hip-hop. Busta Rhymes is commercial. The money. It’s like Ludacris speaking about Obama without turning off his rap persona. Fail.

Ah, well. Mr. Busta – general rule: if Jay-Z isn’t doing it or already did, don’t do it.

Posted 11 Jun 2009 at 3:35 am ¶