“I want freedom for the population / Two million prisoners living in this location / Shouting at the wall but nothing is ever changing / That’s life under an occupation,” MC Abdul rhymes in his breakout song “Shouting At The Wall.” Viewed nearly a million times, the video shows the young emcee rapping passionately while walking through a community destroyed by bombs.
According to Zabaneh, it will be MC Abdul’s first-ever performance in the United States, and the first time his Bay Area fans will see him perform live.
“For him to take his experience growing up in Gaza, and turn to music to share his story, and have an opportunity to play his music to Palestinian Americans who have followed him for years, but couldn’t see him live, that’s beautiful,” says Zabaneh.
Despite being the state with the largest Palestinian population in the country, Palestinian culture doesn’t often get attention in California.
“We want to rally behind [these artists and business] to express what it’s like to be Palestinian and Palestinian American,” Zabaneh says. “Music and hip-hop have been used in the U.S. as a form of storytelling and Palestinians are using it to tell our story as well.”
Palestine Cultural Day takes place on Saturday, Sept. 9, at Leo Ryan Park, 650 Shell Blvd., Foster City. 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Free. Details here.