Palestinian-Canadian Rapper Belly Surprise-Drops ’96 Miles From Bethlehem,’ Album Inspired by War in Gaza
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly has surprise-dropped a new album titled “96 Miles From Bethlehem,” which is described as being about “the gift, curse, and fate of being Palestinian” but is clearly inspired by the war in Gaza.
The 40-year-old artist, whose real name is Ahmad Balshe, was born in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank — which is located 96 miles from Bethlehem, as the album’s title says — but relocated to Canada with his family when he was 7.
The brief, nine-song album is, not surprisingly, a dark listen, with his rapping style (which is often reminiscent of early Kanye West) jarring against the ominous rhythms of many of the songs, which also feature spoken segments in Arabic and occasional Middle Eastern melodies.
It was released on the Universal Arabic Music (founded by Weeknd manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby in 2021) and features guest appearances from fellow Palestinian artists Elyanna, Saint Levant, and MC Abdul and production contributions from DaHeala (The Weeknd) with traditional instrumentalists.
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