Dubai: Combating negativity with positive thought and inspiring hope is the message the Palestinian hip-hop artist Boikutt of the 'Ramallah Underground' hopes to spread through his music.

Boikutt, a 21-year-old student from Ramallah, said spreading a message of hope to young Palestinians is essential for people who are living under occupation and thus face oppression on a daily basis.

"There is a lot of negativity going on in Palestine. There is a wall around us, there are [colonies] on every hilltop that can shoot at us at any time, everywhere we go we are hindered by endless [borderposts]. Amid all of this we need to remind ourselves that there is still hope," he said.

Although his music was inspired by the very uniqueness of the Palestinians, because Boikutt "does not see the world as east and west", "we all live in one world and therefore should use anything we see and like", he said. Hence, he chose hip-hop, although alien to Arabic culture, to express himself.

"There are no limits when it comes to music as it has energy and can reach anybody regardless of language," said Boikutt, who will perform in Dubai this week.

Music, for him, is the means for resistance and a manifestation of survival.

The name Boikutt refers to his boycott of occupation, oppression, racism, discrimination and the commercialisation of music. It refers to Mukata'a in Arabic, which means the "boy who cuts". The name 'Boikutt' reflects techniques of hip-hop artistes who cut and mix music.

He started producing music eight years ago but during the second Intifada he felt the need to rap what he saw. "I decided to write lyrics as I felt the need to describe the feelings and thoughts of people under occupation," he said.

Boikutt, produced his first track, Mamnoo Al Tajwool (Under Curfew), while under house arrest during the second Intifada.

"I had a tank outside my window, I had a lot to say about it so I just wrote. There were so many negative feelings and I needed to deal with it in one way or another," he said.

Boikutt, together with two other young Palestinians Aswat and Stormtrap, established Ramallah Underground in 2003, which tries to rejuvenate Arabic music.

"By incorporating day-to-day experience into classical Arabic music, such as the work of Umm Kalthoum, Fairuz and Marcel Khalifa, we hope to create music that Arabic youth can relate to," he said.

"Many of our tracks are descriptive, they talk about of how one feels when their house is demolished, stopped at each [borderpost], have universities shut down several times during the year. But at the end of each track we try to encourage people not to give up," said Boikutt.

Occupation and violence have driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of their home country, and this was the fate of the founders of Ramallah Underground. Aswat is now a Dubai-based sound engineer and producer of the group. He said although internal fighting is adding to the problems of the Palestinians, he feel that their duty is to stress on the causes and not the effects of the problem.

Overcoming barriers

"Internal fighting is a perfect example what occupation has caused. For example it is a known fact that an abused child is more likely to be violent when he grows up. Therefore the real issue is occupation," said Aswat.

The three young Palestinians who used to produce their music from their little bedroom studio in Ramallah are no longer together. Boikutt lives in Ramallah, Aswat in Dubai and Stormtrap in Vienna, but they continue to produce as a band.

Ironically, according to them, the factor that caused their separation is the same factor that made them. They have been able to overcome the physical barrier while producing their music.

Event

What: Boikutt performance
When: Wednesday, July 25, Doors open at 9pm
Where: Touch in Four Point Sheraton
Ticket price: Dh50