Middle Eastern Research

Indian Hip Pop

I love hip hop and of course I fell in love with Raja Kumari's “Bindis and Bangles”. The rhythm and beats of the music, the dancers, and the idea of setting it in a futuristic Hinduism was a unique and fun concept. Seeing the music video gives me a new perspective into the Indian world of music. When I thought of India, I would never hip hop would associated with it. I decided to look up other Middle Eastern hip hop artists. The one that caught my eye was Emiway. Emiway born Bilal Shaikh, into a Muslim family on 11/13/1995 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. When he was younger, he was a big fan of Eminem so much that he began practicing his songs.  With all of the time and effort he placed into rapping, he began to receive recognition and it paved the way to the start of his career. His rapping career officially took off when he uploaded his first song to YouTube called “Glint Lock”.  He then released his first Hindi rap song which was one of the most liked tracks and received over 10 million views on YouTube.  

Indian Dancing

I am also a dancer so learning that Indian types of dancing have foundations based on Ballet fascinated me. The dance I was fascinated with learning  about was Kathak. I loved how the movements are graceful and sharp at the same time and the dancers are closely connected with the beat of the music. Kathak is one of the six types of classical Indian dances. It was born in North India within Hindu temples as a way to tell stories from the Hindu Scriptures.  The first version of the dance consisted of a mixture of rhythmic movements and poetry. As time went on Nomadic Kathakars, or wandering storytellers, carried the dance through India and added elements of emotions turning it more into a mime and theatrical performance. Through this change, it was used as a form of entertainment. During the Medieval time period, the dance was very popular and was encouraged by India’s Persian kings and Muslim Moghuls. Kathak has roots from both Hindu and Muslim cultures. One of the most well-known medieval rulers, named Wajid Ali Shah, created the dance to be what it is today. He focused on the emotional connection with the audience and the style is called Lucknow gharana. 

Quran Competition 

The third topic that I was interested in learning about was the Quran Recitation Competition.  The first competition was held in Kedah, Malaysia in 1951. It was made national and international  in 1960 after it was endorsed by Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister. Other countries, such as Indonesia, began to join in. The competitions were held at district then national levels and the person that won national level would represent that country at the international level. The international competition happens every year and the contestants are divided between the men and women. They are judged based on their pronunciation, tone, appreciation and understanding of the Quran.

“Winners of a Quran Recitation Competition.” Www.Roots.Gov.Sg, www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1088293#:%7E:text=The%20first%20Quran%20recitation%20competition,Rahman%2C%20Malaysia’s%20first%20Prime%20Minister. Accessed 2 May 2022.

“What Is Kathak Dance? – Katha Dance Theatre.” Kathadance.Org, kathadance.org/about-2/what-is-kathak. Accessed 2 May 2022.

Admin. “Emiway Bantai Net Worth (Rapper) 2022 - Income, Salary, Bio.” Bio Overview, 23 Apr. 2022, biooverview.com/emiway-bantai-net-worth.