Translating Identities and Politics in Arab Hip Hop

An analysis of the political role of diasporic Hip Hop involves, among other things, focusing on translation as a practice, which is both intrinsic to these artists’ complex identity and to their music created across different languages and cultures (on global Hip Hop see Mitchell, 2001 ; Alim, 2006 ; Pennycook, 2007 ; Alim et al ., 2009 ). Hip Hop’s political role is thus expressed and constructed through a series of translingual and translational techniques and strategies which are central in establishing a close connection between the production and reception of Hip-Hop music. An interdisciplinary approach, drawing on translation studies, multimodality and reception studies, becomes paramount to understanding how the political aims of artists, such as Shadia Mansour, Omar Offendum, the Narcycist, and Lowkey, are built through a multimodal meaning-making process whereby listeners and concertgoers play an active role.