From Med School To Rapper: How The Synaptik Is Changing Arabic Rap

By all measures, The Synaptik is having a good year.

Months after unveiling his English collaboration EP "Terminal" with the rapper Chyno, his first album “Om Al Mawjat" or "Mother of all Waves," debuted to fan fare in Jordan. After spending the summer touring Europe, he's hitting the road again this October for shows in Lebanon, Austria and Palestine.

But not all of The Synaptik's accomplishments have been musical. In May 2018, the 25-year old rapper graduated from medical school.



Fresh off the European tour for his collaboration EP Terminal, The Synaptik sings his single "Ritalin" in Ramallah, Palestine.


The path to hip hop

While for most, medical school doesn't necessarily go hand-in-hand with a hip hop career, for The Synaptik it always made sense. Drawn to rap as a teenager, the Palestinian-Jordanian started making his own music at 17, and by 20, realized he wanted to try to make a career out of it. However, he came from a middle class family in Amman, Jordan and knew that he had to support himself with more than his musical aspirations.

And so he decided to become a doctor as an "alternative." But rap was always there in the background. When he studied for his tests, he there were two screens open: internal medicine and FruityLoops, or FL Studio, an audio workstation.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

If anything, he says school helped to fuel his fire. A self-described procrastinator, he made music when he was supposed to be studying. The Synaptik says, “stress makes me prolific.”



Hundreds of fans showed up for The Synaptik's debut album drop in Amman, Jordan.

The local hip hop scene in Amman

Rapping in Amman, Jordan had unique hurdles for The Synaptik. Although rap is popular throughout the Middle East and has been for some time, in Amman, it comes with a stigma.

“Rap [is considered to be from] East Amman, the poor area," said The Synaptik. "Rock was West Amman, because they could buy guitars."

Because of this association, hip hop shows don't usually draw big crowds and are often held in small clubs in family neighborhoods. Police will be called to shut down events following complaints of loud music. The Synaptik estimates that four out of every five shows end this way.

Other hurdles include the high cost of computer equipment. Facing huge customs taxes, the rapper built his own computer, saving over $1,000. “You have someone coming from Germany and you ask them, can you bring me a motherboard?,” says The Synaptik.



The Synaptik (R) performed recently with Tamer Nafar (L) from DAM, the Palestinian hip hop group that is credited with popularizing Arabic rap.

Freedom of movement

His work grapples with ideas around travel and migration, and who is allowed to go where. When it comes to being a musician, The Synaptik sees the freedom of movement as a huge barrier for Arab artists. Looking at events like the Palestine Music Expo, he has noticed that most musicians who were signed to labels or booked for gigs had Israeli passports, as it was easier for them to travel to Europe.

“They can just buy a ticket. Three months before [going to a country], I have to go the embassy with bank statements,” explains The Synaptik.

After submitting his visa application, there is no guarantee that a nation will say yes until a few days before a performance. For someone organizing a festival taking a risk on a relatively unknown artist isn't worth the gamble.

“ It’s underestimated. You should be able to live where you want ," says The Synaptik. "If I have a show in Germany, I should be able to go.”



Arabic hip hop fans in Amman singing along with The Synaptik.

Staying true to Arabic rap

On “Om Al Mawjat," his debut album, all of his songs are in Arabic, including tracks with El Rass and Tamer Nafar. Rapping in Arabic is important to The Synaptik right now, although he originally learned how to rap in English.

Emotionally heavy lyrics like "the mark of waves will wash all the tired souls // to come back to shore clean," from the titular track are lightened with his smooth sound and word plays. He's garnered over three million views on SoundCloud and the press is calling him a "lyrical tsunami."

Fans showed up in the hundreds in Ramallah, Palestine and Amman, Jordan for his album release parties, and the rapper is going back on tour this fall. The experiences has "been amazing," says the hip hop artist.

The advent of NGO rappers

Referring to some Arab rappers as “NGO rappers," a reference to the practice of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) funding artists who make music about the refugee crisis, he says his songs don't mention “dishdashis, camels or refugee camps."

“A big part of my life is fighting to stay middle class. My family is middle class,” says The Synaptik. “But no one wants to hear that. They want the refugee story.”

The Synaptik wishes that Arab rappers could be seen as artists, separate from their nationality. He says, " I want to be seen as a rapper. It doesn’t matter where I'm from ."

Source