Emad Al Akhali, the Yemeni rapper and hip-hop artist known as YemeKnight shares insights about hip hop culture in Yemen. He tells us how hip-hop culture came to Yemen and how Yemen influenced him as a poet and as a deep thinker. Emad tells us that Yemenis get a “hit of reality” early as they are confronted with issues of life and death at a young age, much like the culture that birthed hip hop. He also describes his methods of telling the Yemeni story through hip-hop by mixing English with Yemeni Arabic lyrics. His goal is to achieve international recognition, while having Yemenis feel, “He’s behind us. He’s telling our story.”

@Yemeknight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyLwBFroZys

@YnewsAW

Alex@yemennews.org

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