Video of 11-year-old Palestinian boy rapping in English goes viral
Go, shorty!
An 11-year-old boy in Gaza is getting Internet famous for his mad rap skills.
Abdelrahman Alshantti, whose first language is Arabic, was filmed dropping his impressive rhymes in English. Surrounded by his somber friends, his lyrics shed light on issues in his home region.
The video, uploaded to his Facebook and Instagram accounts, has brought in hundreds of views. His Facebook page, mca.rap, has more than 7.3K followers.
In the video, Alshantti raps about his life in Gaza and the hardships he and many others face amid tensions between Israel and Palestine. On Instagram, he said he is “an 11 year old who raps in English. I aim to spread peace, unity & love through my music.”
“There’s a chance you can die, we’ll see what the future holds. My life is on the line, right behind the bullet holes,” he raps in the emotional video about the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Alshantti, who’s been rapping since he was just 9 years old, says he hopes to become “Palestine’s Eminem,” according to Reuters.
He also raps about other political issues, including the death of George Floyd — a message that was shared by British rapper Lowkey.
11 year old rapper from Gaza MCA expresses his solidarity with George Floyd pic.twitter.com/NurEsULKnO
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) August 13, 2020