A stalwart of the UAE hip-hop community has teamed up with an up-and-coming producer in Dubai to release a protest song inspired by the violence in Gaza.
The rapper Jabbar, formerly of the crew The Recipe, and DJ Somalie have recorded the track Free, inspired by the struggles of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
For the Palestinian-American Jabbar, whose real name is Hani Khatib, it is one of the first tracks he has released since leaving the UAE and returning to America, where he lives in New York.
With subject matter that hits so close to home, Jabbar says that writing the lyrics was a form of release. “I find it easy to write about this topic because it is one that I have studied, researched, lived and experienced first-hand,” he says. “I feel it is my duty to help not only Palestinians but all people who are oppressed and are placed in unfair and extreme humanitarian situations.”
Jabbar's fierce lyrics – "Till the cement fence is levelled forever, with rebellious eloquence" – are tempered with a sparse yet evocative production built around a looping melancholy oud riff, a funky bassline (with DJ Somalie on the bass-guitar) and a chorus supplied by the R'n'B singer Tala.
“It was all very spontaneous,” says Somalie (real name Ahmed Garoun).“We just came together with this goal and we are all very happy with how it turned out.”
You can hear Free at Jabbar's Soundcloud account (soundcloud.com/jabbar). The song is available for purchase from Amazon and the US iTunes site. The proceeds will be donated to the The Palestine Children's Relief Fund.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E680hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E800Nm%20at%202%2C750-6%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERear-mounted%20eight-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E13.6L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Orderbook%20open%3B%20deliveries%20start%20end%20of%20year%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh970%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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