Interview: Lebanese Rap Duo R.Y.M Discuss Their New Single/Animated Video "Al Qiyama"
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“R.Y.M aims to make a positive impact in the world, and in the way the youth reasons and acts. We want to show today’s youth a more sustainable model, a new way of being “gangster” or “dope”, far from the guns, violence, drugs and blasphemy.”
Congratulations on the release of your new single entitled "Al Qiyama"; tell us what initially inspired its writing and who provided the production.
When we turned 18, we stopped pursuing our dreams and followed society’s “traditional” path. Life in Lebanon comes with a lot of challenges and setbacks. We didn’t have the needed mindset nor resources and didn’t feel empowered to move up our musical passion.
Around 10 years later, knees deep in our professional careers, thousands of miles apart, trying to advance despite crises, conflicts, and social turmoils we decided to resurrect our ambitions and dreams.
“Al Qiyama” translates to resurrection and reflects our return to rap more determined and at peace than ever. “Al Qiyama” is also a calling for spiritual, and behavioral change of today’s youth and future leaders particularly in our region. A calling to rise above inter-generational reflexes and perceptions, to question and challenge indoctrinated narratives, and forge a new truth by means of reason, education, wisdom and kindness.
This song was recorded and produced at RedBooth Lebanon (@redbooth), under the direction of Scarlette Saad. The track is a fusion of Oriental and Western cultures, a sort of bridge between the two civilizations.
The animated lyric video is really dope as well; how did you connect with its creator Roudy el Hajj?
A good conscious rap song excels in 3 factors: the message, the delivery, and and the relatability. The process of delivering the message requires the activation of many sensory features from both the artist and the listener. The message of a song can be either found or lost in its delivery. Hence, the decision to proceed with an animated lyric video came naturally, for two main reasons: first the idea could be fulfilled independently of the geographical distance between us. Second, it was only natural to release “Al Qiyama” through a video that prioritizes the lyrics while remaining visually artistic and creative.
We got introduced to Roudy el Hajj via a cousin working in the United Arab Emirates. @roudy.elhajj is also an expatriate who left Lebanon seeking a better future. We scheduled a call and shared our initial thoughts and were amazed by Roudy’s level of enthusiasm, professionalism and innovative thinking.
We are very blessed and grateful that our musical journey is allowing us to meet such amazing talents and beautiful individuals like Roudy. We are currently working together on a new project and are really excited to explore new possibilities and concepts.
How would you say that the Leave a Mark Project (LAMP) is represented in the music that R.Y.M creates?
Each release has its purpose and its aim. It’s like with each verse, chorus, and song, we seek to convey a message that will hopefully resonate within the soul and mind of each listener.
We want to break barriers, stereotypes and traditional ways of thinking. By addressing various themes pertaining to human life, and presenting them in daring and bold ways, we want for each song to leave a certain impact on individuals. Accordingly, we are consciously and continuously choosing quality over quantity, targeted heavy impact over large scale light reach.
Will "Al Qiyama" be a featured track on an upcoming EP or album you have in development? If so, what can you tell us about the project?
“Al Qiyama” was just the beginning. We are working with several other producers and talented professionals to produce more original songs that will eventually fall under the Leave a Mark Project. We purposely worked with producers from various, non-rap backgrounds to give a creative and innovative sound to our music.
Alongside “Al Qiyama”, two tracks are already finalized and, as said earlier, we’re constantly adapting and finding solutions to progress despite the geographical distance and the work pressure.
The Leave a Mark Project is our way of making an impact. Each song in the Project will address a specific theme and embrace a different style. We pour our souls into every track with the aim that LAMP, as a constantly growing and evolving organism, will in its entirety constitute our memoir, the narrative of two Lebanese brothers who were not afraid to stand out, be transparent and advocate for what is right.
This project is our contribution to the world, for ideas are eternal; and we hope that one day, could be today or in a hundred years, those ideas will influence and spark the rebirth of a nation.
For first time listeners/viewers of "AI Qiyama" and R.Y.M's music overall, would you say that it is the voice of Lebanese hip-hop, or is your music representative of something else?
Actually, it is both. “Al Qiyama” is representative of the voice of Lebanese hip-hop in the sense that its message is politically and socially engaged. Lebanese hip-hop artists all share the burden of a perplexed and disenchanted country/region. As a result, generated music is more than often nuanced with such hot topics. However, our music is representative of something else. There are very few rappers in the Middle-East, let alone in Lebanon, who decided to express their voices in English in a region still strongly arabicized in its forms of artistic expression.
R.Y.M represents familiarity and novelty. We offer listeners a raw and emotional performance, a symbiosis of conscious rap accompanied with oriental melodies/vibes. R.Y.M aims to make a positive impact in the world, and in the way the youth reasons and acts. We want to show today’s youth a more sustainable model, a new way of being “gangster” or “dope”, far from the guns, violence, drugs and blasphemy.
Our model is built on the concept of self-questioning, self-acceptance, and self-development. We try to always be true to ourselves and avoid creating a dishonest and harmful persona behind the comfort of a microphone.
With "Al Qiyama" single and animated lyric clip now unveiled, what's next for R.Y.M musically?
Musically, we’re trying to advance on all fronts. We have dozens of lyrics, melodies, and choruses developed; we are working with several music producers and studios to create variant tracks and beats; we are expanding our horizons in terms of video production and featured tracks, and are strengthening our knowledge about brand management as well as music distribution and promotion. Being independent is not easy but the taste of freedom is sweet.
Stay tuned, our upcoming song “Lost” will present a completely different side to R.Y.M; more personal, and vulnerable. The song is for every individual, who at one point in his/her life felt tired, not good enough, or depressed. It is important to accept and deal with our emotions, but also to know that nothing lasts forever; and the key for change lies within us. R.Y.M will also be doing some singing in that one … we hope you stay with us for the ride.