VOA标准英语2011--Contemporary Events Inspire Arab Hip-Hop Artist

Contemporary Events Inspire Arab Hip-Hop Artist

A Moroccan woman who only discovered her talent as a hip-hop performer when she came to study in London is now at the forefront of this musical genre¹. Master Mimz delivered her own commentary on the Arab Spring with her song, "Back Down Mubarak."

Leighton House in west London was an unlikely setting for the cutting edge sounds of hip-hop, but its former owner, the 19th century Orientalist Frederic Leighton, might well have approved.

Myriam Bouchentouf, otherwise known as Master Mimz, performed as part of the Nour Festival, sponsored by the local borough² to present the broad range of Middle East culture.

Until she came to London two years ago, Bouchentouf never thought of switching from fan to performer.

"I got into hip-hop because I've always been a big fan of the music genre and I thought this was the voice of this generation, like rock music," explained Bouchentouf.

Events in Cairo's Tahrir Square in late January helped set a train of protest in motion throughout much of the Middle East. Arab hip-hop has long commented on injustice³, and the musicologist Randa Safieh says Myriam Bouchentouf is helping⁴ to further more than one revolutionary cause.

"Myriam is part of the new generation of Arab hip-hop artists and female hip-hop artists are still a minority, but I think that artists like Myriam are setting a precedent⁵ for the future which is definitely a positive development for the genre," said Safieh.

Bouchentouf's best known number, "Back Down Mubarak", was inspired not only by watching contemporary events in Egypt - it stemmed from a lifelong affinity⁶ for Egyptian culture.

"Growing up in Morocco we had a lot of access to Egyptian culture whether it was movies, films, arts and I guess, in a way, I always felt that closeness, and I think the whole Arab world can attest⁷ to that and say that Egyptian culture was very important to us, so when it happened, I automatically felt a connection," she explained.

Much of Myriam's material is personal. She has plenty to say about being a woman in Arab society.

In the driving rhythms of hip-hop, musicologist Randa Safieh believes youth in the Middle East are also following long established tradition.

"Part of the reason that young Arabs are attracted to hip-hop is that in Arab culture, poetry is very highly revered⁸, and the spoken word, and there a lot of parallels between that and Arab hip-hop," Safieh added.

Hip-hop as a musical form has been going for 30 years. As an Arab woman, Myriam Bouchentouf, aka Master Mimz, is providing fresh perspective in a time of turbulence⁹.

1 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

2 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

3 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

6 affinity   

n.亲和力，密切关系

参考例句：

• I felt a great affinity with the people of the Highlands.我被苏格兰高地人民深深地吸引。
• It's important that you share an affinity with your husband.和丈夫有共同的爱好是十分重要的。

7 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

8 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

9 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。