DAM, meaning “everlasting” in Arabic, is the first Palestinian hip hop crew and among the first to rap in Arabic. Formed in the late 1990s, Tamer Nafar, Suhell Nafar, and Mahmood Jrere were inspired to tell their story through the rhythms of hip hop. After their timely song “Min Irhabi” (“Who’s the terrorist”) was downloaded over a million times shortly after its internet release in 2001, DAM became a household name among youth throughout the Middle East.
DAM released 2 official albums “Dedication” in 2006 & “Dabke on the moon” in 2011. In 2015, the group officially welcomed Maysa Daw into their ranks, and through their first single together “Who You Are”, signed a record deal with Cooking Vinyl, and later on started working on the band’s 3rd album, “BEN HAANA WA MAANA”.
DAM’s sound is unmistakable. Their music is a unique fusion of east and west, blending fierce Arabic rap with Arabic rhythms, Middle Eastern sounds and melodies, and the pulsating beats of urban hip hop.
The album “BEN HAANA WA MAANA” was released in June 2019. The first release of the album, Emta Njawzak Yamma (When will you get married?), tackles the social pressure of marriage and became an instant hit. Known to speak up on hard-hitting topics and taboos, DAM’s latest album represents a bold evolution in their artistic vision.
“We know that we have hit hard times. We always talked about the darkness we live in” said Nafar, “but this time we changed our attitude. As we say in one of our songs “Hada Yidi’e Sitna”; “This is not the darkness of a tomb, we are in the darkness of a womb.”