{"id":35476,"date":"2023-05-03T20:03:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T16:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=35476"},"modified":"2023-05-03T20:03:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T16:03:17","slug":"belly-preserving-palestine-mumble-rap-2","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/belly-preserving-palestine-mumble-rap-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast: Belly On Achieving The Arabian Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_35482\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35482\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-35482 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/05\/Preserving-Palestine-Lead-Belly-.jpg\" alt=\"Belly\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35482\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Belly for the ninth and final episode on season two of Preserving Palestine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For GRAZIA\u2019s ninth and final episode on season two of <a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/preserving-palestine\/\"><em>Preserving Palestine<\/em><\/a>, I invited Belly to join me as we discuss his transition from living across the Middle East to eventually settling in the United States, how he discovered his talent and love for hip hop and how he became a living, breathing representation of the &#8216;Arabian dream.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/podcasters.spotify.com\/pod\/show\/preservingpalestine\/embed\/episodes\/S2-Ep9-Belly--Taking-the-easy-route-has-never-been-an-option-for-me--I-dont-like-someone-telling-me-what-I-can-and-cant-say-e23a6te\" width=\"400px\" height=\"102px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/4HdydkI5KtSUcNl6lnelHa?si=763b5f1da884481e\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to listen on Spotify.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/s2-ep9-belly-taking-the-easy-route-has-never-been\/id1649288028?i=1000611609059\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The world has been romanticising and idolising the idea of an American Dream for decades, whether in the movies we watch or novels we read. But what is the equivalent of that dream for the half a billion Arabs living in a world that is constantly adulating the West? Belly, who was born as Ahmad Balshe in Jenin, is the embodiment of that dream. Afterall, he says it himself in his latest song from his upcoming alnum Mumble Rap 2, American Nightmare.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_35488\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35488\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-35488 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/05\/belly-mumble-rap-2-preserving-palestine.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"belly\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35488\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">INGLEWOOD, CA &#8211; NOVEMBER 18: Rapper Belly performs onstage during the Real 92.3 Real Show at The Forum on November 18, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The artist first discovered his unparalleled talent for songwriting through writing poetry. When I asked who he would dedicate his poems to, he humorously responded &#8220;I don&#8217;t know, probably some girl that was breaking my heart when I was in the third grade or something.&#8221; He continued to share, &#8220;even as a young child, I was in touch with the way I felt about certain things and with my emotions, I was always somebody that was opinionated, even from a young age, so I think hip hop was great for me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After moving to Ottawa, Belly decided to turn his dream into his reality and released his debut mixtape &#8216;Death Before Dishonour: Vol. 1.&#8217; After releasing several more projects, he took a hiatus from making music for some time. When asked why he took a break, Belly admitted, &#8220;music got to a point for me where it just didn&#8217;t have that that fun factor. More like, it just got to a point where I never wanted it to feel like work, and it did. It started to feel like something that I was dragging myself in the studio to do&#8230; It was a good time for me to just reflect on everything I wanted to learn about myself and about what I wanted to do in the future, and then actually come back with a game plan.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I wanted to learn about myself and about what I wanted to do in the future, and then actually come back with a game plan.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_35489\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35489\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-35489 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/05\/belly-mumble-rap-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Belly\" width=\"1024\" height=\"853\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35489\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CALGARY, ALBERTA &#8211; APRIL 03: Rapper Belly and The Weeknd perform at the 2016 Juno Awards at Scotiabank Saddledome on April 3, 2016 in Calgary, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And that game plan has proven to be nothing short of a success story ever since. Eventually, Belly got signed by major record labels XO and Roc Nation and has collaborated with some of the industry&#8217;s biggest artists, like The Weeknd and Beyonc\u00e9. In 2018, he released his album <em>Immigrant<\/em>, where he unapologetically prides himself as an Arab immigrant. In the song with the same name, he sings, &#8220;there&#8217;s nothin&#8217; more priceless than bein&#8217; free\/ immigrant, that&#8217;s why they hate me just for bein&#8217; me\/ we ain&#8217;t wanna leave overseas, we were under siege.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrMl3m_huO9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrMl3m_huO9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrMl3m_huO9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Belly (@belly)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This wasn&#8217;t the first or the last time that the artist spoke about his background and took pride in it. Take his song <em>History of Violence, <\/em>which he told me he wrote because &#8220;every Palestinian, every Arab or anybody from any oppressed nation, feels how I feel and sometimes needs an outlet or some kind of platform to just let that out.&#8221; Granted, the video got banned from the United States for a long time, which only proves the constant censorship that artists like Belly face. Another example would be in 2018, when he went on New York radio station Hot 97 to talk about the oppression and censorship of Palestinians.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Every Palestinian, every Arab or anybody from any oppressed nation, feels how I feel and sometimes needs an outlet or some kind of platform to just let that out.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cp07QaehTgf\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cp07QaehTgf\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cp07QaehTgf\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Belly (@belly)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As a Palestinian myself, to see someone who represents my identity be unequivocally brave and risk his entire career, is gratifying yet can admittedly sometimes be baffling. Perhaps it is part of our toxic mentality to assume that we as Palestinians aren&#8217;t worth someone like Belly, Bella Hadid or the thousands of remarkably successful celebrities to risk their entire careers for. So when I asked Belly why he never took the easy route and censored his words like most people would prefer and pressure him to, he responded, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think anything that I&#8217;ve achieved has been easy. So I don&#8217;t think taking the easy route has ever been an option for me&#8230; I think I&#8217;ll never be the one to be quiet. I&#8217;d rather be censored, I&#8217;ll figure it out. There&#8217;s other ways to do it. Other ways to get it. So, I&#8217;ll always figure it out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think I&#8217;ll never be the one to be quiet. I&#8217;d rather be censored, I&#8217;ll figure it out. There&#8217;s other ways to do it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcwIp5ohfXq\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcwIp5ohfXq\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcwIp5ohfXq\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Belly (@belly)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Possibly the amusingly-weirdest moment of my conversation with Belly, was hearing him speak in the mother tongue we both share and name the traditions and foods we&#8217;ve both grown up with. Realising that apart from performing at sold out shows and being a multi-award winning artist, Belly and I, as well as millions of other Palestinians around the world, have more in common than I ever could have imagined. My favourite part of our conversation was when he spoke to me in Arabic.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u200e.\u200f \u200f\u0644\u0625\u0644\u064a \u0645\u0646 \u0623\u0648\u0644 \u064a\u0648\u0645 \u0647\u0630\u0627 \u0627\u0644\u0634\u064a\u0621 \u062e\u0644\u064a\u062a\u0648 \u0642\u0631\u064a\u0628 \u0639\u0644\u064a&#8221;<br \/>\n.\u200f\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0634\u064a\u0621 \u0648\u0637\u0646\u064a \u0648 \u062b\u0627\u0646\u064a \u0634\u064a\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u063a\u0629<br \/>\n&#8220;.\u200f\u0627\u0644\u0648\u0627\u062d\u062f \u0628\u062f\u0648 \u064a\u0639\u0631\u0641 \u0645\u0646 \u0648\u064a\u0646 \u0623\u062c\u0627<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Personally, since the beginning I\u2019ve kept this close to me.<br \/>\nFirstly, it\u2019s my country and secondly it\u2019s my language.<br \/>\nA person needs to know where they came from&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>What an honour and a delight to see someone like Belly realising, embodying and representing the &#8216;Arabian dream.&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30736,"featured_media":35482,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[260,349,35,4764],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v20.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Listen To Belly Talk About His Upcoming Album Mumble Rap 2<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Belly talks about his journey to becoming the &#039;Arabian dream,&#039; highlights of his career and his upcoming album, Mumble Rap 2.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/belly-preserving-palestine-mumble-rap-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Podcast: Belly On Achieving The Arabian Dream\" \/>\n<meta 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