Rhymes for a cause

Emirati brothers speak about their special way of making music and their devotion to their roots

Last updated: September 15, 2018 | 20:10

3 MIN READ

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The dynamic brother duo Desert Heat is certainly one of the few who have broken the barriers.

Salim and Abdullah Dahman believe hip hop is one of the "strongest, most effective and influential genres" when it comes to expressing ones views. Hip hop was created to represent people's freedom of speech and also to mirror individual values, they say. Desert Heat definitely uphold these ideals.

The brothers want to reflect Arabic/Islamic values in their music and lyrics and fight two common stereotypes: the negative image of Arabs and Muslims and the idea that hip hop is negative and degrading. "You can perform hip hop music, be cool and at the same time stick to your values - respect your parents, go to school or university and stay out of trouble," says Abdullah whose band name is Arableak.

"When hip hop started the artists didn't use bad language," says Salim (aka Illmiyah). "People rapped about upliftment of their community so they knew their songs would be heard by the young and the old. A great song is a song with meaningful lyrics. Gangsta rappers use derogatory lyrics because they are a product of their environment. We are also a product of our environment so instead of aping someone else we try to be ourselves," he says.

According to Abdullah there are a lot of rappers who see hip hop as a clean way of expression. "Think of Heavy D & the Boyz, Will Smith and Lupe Fiasco. These artists don't use derogatory lyrics to sound cool," he says.

One of Desert Heat's song is 3Arabi for life which indicates how they perceive the Arab world. The boys are proud of their roots and this is clear in their songs. In fact after listening to their songs many people have changed the way they look at Arabs. Illmiyah says some ex-marines who fought in Iraq emailed them saying they left the army after they listened to their album When The Desert Speaks, proving that music can affect one's conscience.

Another song that touched listeners was Under Her Feet a tribute to their mother. "Our mother is everything. We went through ups and downs and she was always there for us. We have received tonnes of letters, emails, phone calls from mothers thanking us. People from as far as Azerbaijan have told us that they reconciled with their mothers thanks to this song."

Breaking through was not easy for the duo. The producers, promoters and others were not open to Arabic hip hop so they had to do everything themselves: writing the songs, producing, mixing and mastering.

Today, ten years after they began their musical journey and two years after the release of their album, the boys continue to top the charts. They have also been performing in different parts of the UAE. Apart from opening for 50 Cent, Ludacris, Akon, Shaggy and Ragheb Alamah, they have headlined the Red Bull World Air Race in Abu Dhabi as well as the MTV Arabia launch concert Hip Hopna. However, the boys say their shows in Dubai, especially the one in Festival City were the most significant. "The audience made it special," they say. "They were singing along, jumping and screaming for more."

Abdullah and Salim are now working on their second album. One of the songs will be Wave Yo Flags, a tribute to all the nationalities in the UAE.

Desert Heat is also working with R&B singer Beydoun on a R'n'B album with an Arabic twist.

Check out Desert Heat's best songs, projects and news on www.desertheatarabia.com.

All about Desert Heat

Dream collaborations

Illmiyah - Brother Ali and Immortal Technique
Arableak - Many of the greats are dead. But I would like to work with Lupe Fiasco, The Roots, Ice Cube, Amr Diab, Fairuz and Prince.

The origins of their names