Palestinian-Algerian Rapper Saint Levant Drops ‘Deira’ Single With MC Abdul, Paying Tribute to Gaza
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Palestinian musicians Saint Levant and MC Abdul have united to release “Deira,” which sees the two artists paying peaceful tribute to the people and culture of Gaza and performing in traditional Shaabi Arab musical style.
Levant recently signed with Universal Arabic Music label, founded by Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, manager of the Weeknd and CEO of XO. “Deira is the name of the hotel that my father, Rashid, an architect, built with my mother in 2000 when they moved to Gaza,” said Levant, who is of Palestinian, Algerian, French and Serbian descent and is currently based in Los Angeles. “Deira means the Kasbah or the old city.
He built this hotel with mud because it was impossible to import cement at the time. Located on the beach, this hotel was one of the most beautiful in Gaza, made up of 22 rooms.
It was a true architectural marvel. On July 16, 2014, four children playing ball out front of the hotel were killed by Israeli rocket fire and most recently the hotel was totally destroyed by bombing three months ago. “This song is also a celebration of Palestinian daily life,” he continued. “With a sound inspired by Dahmane El Harrachi, considered the great master of Algerian chaâbi, Deira is anchored in Algerian culture through its sound (where my mother is from) and in Palestinian culture through its words (the land of my father).
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