When we think of music, we don't think of Saudi Arabia. In the land where musical instruments are considered religiously forbidden, and where there is a special police force dedicated to enforcing Shariaa, or Islamic law, performing live and having gigs without a permit can cost you quite hefty fines...that is if you are not arrested. Yet such conditions have not stopped the youth from expressing themselves through music. It simply forced them to keep a low profile and perform underground.
It may come as a surprise but the Saudi Arabian underground music scene is quite diverse with bands ranging from rap and hip-hop to punk, rock and death-metal. Yet the two genres which dominate the scene are hip-hop and metal. And despite the tight restrictions, several underground artists have managed to establish, maintain and build a name on the music scene.
With the complete absence of recording studios in the KSA, Ahmad Bugshan aka 'Bugsy' seems to be leaving quite the influence, especially when it comes to music production. In a context which may not make any sense to most of us, Bugsy says “I define music as sounds that make sense and my search for that sense was the first reason to become a producer in the audio field.”
There's a western domination of many art forms including music, and yet most foreign tunes may not always convey what Saudis want to express. For that reason, Bugsy’s work often revolves around “sampling” Arabic tracks. “[…] by sampling I bring the old music back to life and help it to connect new and old generations in the music industry,” Bugsy clarified .
Watch 'Any Given Day', performed by Qusai, and produced by Bugsy:
Bugsy’s zeal for helping new talents voice their thoughts through music gives him a clear view of the scene on the ground, and according to what he sees, the hip-hop scene is growing in quantity, but not in quality. “There are various reasons for that. There aren't any colleges/institutes that focus on this specific field. Not many artists are supported which takes a toll on the quality. However in recent times hip-hop is being increasing accepted and it is growing fast. It will be eventually accepted fully we just have to keep working.”
Among the rappers who were first to invade the scene, and who have worked closely with Bugsy, is Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, best known as Klash whose opinion on the field may not be very different from Bugsy’s. What upsets Klash is that many rappers are primarily driven by fame and fortune and that competition is becoming unhealthy as rappers compete for titles such as ‘being the best’ or ‘being the king of Saudi rap’. But that’s not the only thing holding the scene back. According to Klash, “Saudi rap needs support and acceptance not just financially but in bending some local restrictions in order to have venues where we can connect with our fans under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Information.”
Watch Esh Elly Sayer or "What's Going On" by Klash ft. Rander:
And it was because of the problem with venues that Mohammed Al-Hajjaj, guitarist and singer in the punk/rock band Sound of Ruby, was arrested at the band's first gig for performing without a permit. While that may scare people off and give them second thoughts about pursuing music, Sound of Ruby, like many other band and performers, managed to get around the permits issue by utilizing social networks and word-of-mouth to spread the word about their latest releases, which are of course recorded at home. As for playing gigs, they mostly take place either in tents in the middle of the desert or at private homes in residential compounds where foreign workers live which are off limits to the religious police (Mutaween).
While many Saudi artists exert most of their effort swimming against the tide and struggling with many barriers to playing their music, one Saudi-Iranian artist has managed to make the best of what the scene offers and has made it quite big. Alaa Wardi is the only a cappello artist winning over the crowds (if not the only one in the kingdom). Not only does he cover songs in English, Arabic, Hindi, Korean and French, but his songs actually bring about bouts of the giggles. Among the 40-something tracks he covered, the most prominent include Slumdog Millionaire’s “Jai Ho,” Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” and a quite amusing version of Pharrell Williams’s “Happy”.
So how did Wardi use his wit to smoothly navigate through the bumpy and challenging scene? “A lot of Saudis believe musical instruments are haram, forbidden,” Wardi says . “Actually, that’s why they can listen to my a cappella videos. Instruments are bad but if you’re only using your voice, that’s fine.”
Watch Wardi's a cappella cover for Pharrell Williams’s “Happy”:
Armed with a microphone, Wardi became a YouTube sensation. While many Saudi youths don't have the chance to get a proper music education, Wardi was lucky and studied music at the University of Jordan. He initially had plans to return to KSA and work in audio engineering, but then he found YouTube. Although Wardi covers songs from diverse cultural backgrounds, he’s always keen to bring an Arabic essence to his covers. “Art should reflect our identity. It’s part of who we are,” he notes . “It doesn’t have to be an American singer to be really good. It doesn’t have to be an American song for it to be a hit.” With 51 million YouTube views, he seems to make a very clear point.