Los Angeles based art-rap collective Sammum are truly remarkable.
Matching underground music from North America to their own Middle Eastern heritage, the group use rap as a means to ask complex questions.
The American-Armenian project make their mark with new single 'Maria', a song that embraces empowerment and up-ends the traditional roles afforded to women by Middle Eastern culture.
A track that is dense and detailed, 'Maria' comes equipped with a playful video, one that utilises the psychedelic surrealism of directors such as Sergei Parajanov and Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Sammum's Andranik explains…
“Frame by frame, the viewer sinks into the world of unfamiliar traditions of the region where bride kidnapping is a jolly amusement, a game; where brides themselves await their fate in stillness, not attempting to flee. This might seem odd, but the contradiction reflects the tradition itself and the way it is inherited from generation to generation – subconsciously, yet restricting any alternative behavior…”
Tune in now.
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