I Wish I Was Getting Arab Money Too
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Hip Hop Under Attack...Again
Am I the only one who believes the controversy surrounding Hip-Hop artist, Busta Rhymes, club-banging smash hit, ‘Arab Money’, is being blown completely out of proportion?
For those who do not know, ‘Arab Money’ is a song which describes in detail Busta’s desire to have money as long as the wealthy Sheikhs in Middle-Eastern culture, and jokingly speaks of gambling with Yasar Arafat.
That sounds pretty good to me.
Birthplace Magazine published an article that poses a very interesting question:  What If A Middle Eastern Rapper Released “Negro Money”? The article, then, in hilarious detail, creates lyrics that include almost every stereotype in existence pertaining to African-Americans, and Hip-Hop culture.
Though I understand the point, in my opinion, this futile attempt at objectivity purposely attempts to be inflammatory and draw unfair correlations.
Negro money??? Seriously? While Negro may be offensive to some, Arab is not. The only thing offensive is Busta’s ignorant pronunciation (a-rab, as opposed to air-ub).
Contrary to popular belief, I’ve read several reports that the Arabic used in the hook is correct. However, it’s a verse from the Qur’an, and therefore, disrespectful. That is what has the Muslim world the most concerned, not this mock outrage that a song would dare suggest that some people in the Middle East are making huge profits from oil. Because that is partially true, and everyone knows it.
However, the Qur’an is the word of Allah, and should be treated with the utmost respect, and reverence. So, as Muslims, Busta, Akon, T-Pain, and Swissbeatz, should brush up on the Hadith, and other Muslim teachings, to ensure this song is not in conflict with their personal spiritual choice.
Let’s be honest here. We are not dealing with rocket scientists. These are not people who are trying to change the world through enlightening commentary on Arab-US relations through Hip-Hop. These artists LOVE money, they live money, and to them, saying they’re getting ‘Arab money’, though clearly false, is a way of showing swagger. Busta’s only intent was to record a track that would bang in the club.Â
Mission accomplished.
People know he’s not referring to Al Qaeda! Furthermore, they know he didn’t mean to be disrespectful. Should he have used a verse that wasn’t in the Qur’an? Absolutely!  But Hip-Hop has long perpetuated stereotypes. From all Puerto-Ricans being in bodegas in the hood, to all Jewish people having money, to black women being hoes.
Why this sudden outrage? Because ‘Arab’ is an explosive word.  It brings to mind war, and violence, and our troops. But let’s get a grip on reality, shall we? He didn’t say “We getting Saddam Hussein Money!” or “We getting Bin Laden money!” He said, “Arab.” And last time I checked, Arab wasn’t a dirty, disrespectful word.
Where was all this outrage when Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson starred in ‘White Men Can’t Jump’? Where was it when the Wayan Brothers created ‘White Chicks’? And in both of these instances, the depictions were clearly pejorative.
I am one of the most vocal criticizers of the direction Hip-Hop has taken, however, this manufactured controversy is annoying, and another unfortunate example of how Hip-Hop is being conceptualized as a culture of ignorance and intolerance.
The reaction to ‘Arab Money’ unveils this country’s secret prejudices. It soothes the conscience of those who really do have negative feelings about Middle-Easterners, but realize that the politically correct reaction is outrage, to protest the perceived racism in the lyrics. If you’re really so upset about ‘Arab Money,’ buy a hybrid car. Brainstorm on ways to break this country’s dependence on foreign oil. Protest George Bush, who is swimming in Arab money through Halliburton, and the continuation of this war. Thousands of our troops are dying while wealthy political supporters of this slaughter are profiting. I’ve witnessed more anger over this song than the abysmal conditions that made it possible.Â
Yes, if one chooses to be offended by this little ditty, the lyrics provide ample opportunity. However, this pseudo- umbrage by certain Americans on behalf of Muslims is sickening. Where was the support when they were being unfairly profiled after 9-11?
Right or wrong, Hip-Hop has always offended many people in its depictions; and Arabs, by virtue of the underlying current issues associated with their culture, do not get a pass. And hypocritically, some of the very same people who are bristling with indignation over the depiction of Arabs as wealthy will be doing the dance in club, and turning the volume up in their cars when they hear the intro. Though it is unfortunate that Busta decided to use a Qur’an quote, that is an issue between him and Allah.
As an artist, he can express himself however he sees fit; and if someone doesn’t like it, they need not listen.
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i couldn’t agree more with your point. a silly, manufactured argument. i wish i was getting ay-rab money too.
> manos de piedras
Nobody wants “Negro Money”!!! Negro’s haven’t had no money, that’s why we want Dead Presidents and Arabic Loot! Me personally, I want that “Uncle Bush Money”, he just stuck up an entire country for their natural resources, spent 8 years laudering the doe and setting up a distribution system to last several generations of Texas boys, so he got Arab and Old White money!
> Ramon Bush
arab as in who precisely? yemeni; moroccan; lebanese; sudanese? it’s like saying european.. he has no idea what he is speaking about – most of the serious wealth (as in europe and everywhere else) is held by the very few.. he is showing his ignorance of a world he has no contact with except on maybe cnn when he sits on his remote control by sheer accident… maybe he should be singing about j.r. ewing money.. it’s nearest to oil money he could claim to know about…
> marce
Thank you all for reading, and your feedback.
I truly believe that this entire situation, though unfortunate has been over-blown.
Yes, it was ignorant to use the Qur’an. However, where was this outrage when Tupac was singing “Hail Mary”? ‘Do you wanna ride or die’?
Remember that?
Hip-Hip has never been politically correct. And though, as I state in the article, offense can be taken from the song, and rightfully so, it is no more offensive than the other stereo-types bandied about freely in Hip-Hop. Let’s get some women with some clothes on! Let’s get an African-American male that’s not trying to be ‘gangsta’! How about stop DJ Khaled from screaming ‘nigga’ at every opportunity?
Bottom line: Arab is a flash word right now, thus this huge controversy. Puffy put himself on a cross, and it wasn’t this bad!
The more arabic culture (people, dances, music, etc) is being utilized in Hip-Hop, there are bound to be some mis-steps.
He obviously meant to be complementary, and obviously he was wrong. Let’s not crucify the man.
> Kirsten
Thank you for noticing us!!
Kirsten (if I may call you Kirsten), personally, I (Manny Faces, creator/EIC of Birthplace Magazine, and author of the piece), chalk this up to the same kind of “people protesting for the sake of protesting” attitude that finds Facebook users “up in arms!!!” over a new user interface. Really? I mean… Really.
But the piece was penned after I noticed, in one of the articles linked therein, that an Arab-American rapper (his stage name? Omar Offendum. Ha! Offendum! Anyway…) felt slighted. Ok, I’m sure Mr. Offendum wanted to get his name in the paper, but there is plenty of Muslim/Arab indignation at the song floating around. I believe your point, however, is that it is much ado about not much.
And I generally, agree.
But I do also agree, that “Ay-rab” is pretty much universally known to be a slightly derogatory pronunciation. I also think that you cannot compare Tupac’s use of “Hail Mary”. Islam, apparently (I do not claim to fully understand the rules), is MUCH more strict about putting verses to music. In the same vein, it would be vile to conservative church members to see an illustrated “modified” Jesus in a rap video, but an illustrated Muhammad?!?! PURE blasphemy, to my knowledge. So one really should think about what message one is sending to a group of people that one actually claims to be a part of, no?
Look, I appreciate the “Hip-Hop has never been politically correct” argument, but didn’t I just see Common on CNN.com today, saying that the election of Barack Obama will bring a positive change to hip-hop (which I also have issue with, but that’s another article)? But didn’t I read/see/hear a slew of rap-affiliated heads say the same sort of thing? Or were they just convenient opportunities for a soundbite? What of that pride so many spoke of, the fact that now little rapper boys and girls can see the positive light at the end of the oppressed tunnel? And almost immediately in the same hip-hop breath, this. Dag, I mean, couldn’t Busta have spit about gettin’ White House Money???
In the end, I think Buss is one of the best who ever did it. Point blank. But here’s the deal, to me. The point of our posting was to say that his song isn’t outright racist, and so neither was our reworking of the lyrics. We used “Negro” as opposed to more inflammatory verbiage on purpose, to illustrate how a foreigner might describe African-Americans, incorrectly, but understandably so (Lord, there are enough in our OWN country that still use “colored” as insane as that is). So the point was to show that an outsider, by essentially attempting to “be down”, could sound, well, silly, and at times, prejudiced, depending on your sensibility. We thought that those who could say the same about Busta’s song, were right.
The deeper message is, when are we going to stop chalking this sort of thing up to “hip-hop boys will be boys”? There is a growing audience who is getting older, and tired of childish hip-hop. We know it’s coming. We feel it brewing. More innovation. More intelligence. More creativity. People want it. People like Busta, who have the voice, the platform, and to be honest, the talent to maybe be one of the few vets who can still REALLY do it, and he comes with this?!? Sigh. Look, I feel like I’m mad old now, talking about, “back when I was young in 88 or so in the Golden Era, blah blah blah…”
But..
Well…..
Ok, regardless, the best part of it, and our piece, and your piece quoting our piece, is that, LOOK! Intelligent people are talking, debating with passion, taking time out of their lives to deliberate on hip-hop!
And that, we love.
Thanks again.
-M
–
Manny Faces, Founder/EIC
Birthplace Magazine
http://www.birthplacemag.com
info@birthplacemag.com
> Birthplace Magazine
I know, right?! I need some of that air-ub money, too! Busta’s a good dude, you live and learn.
> shelby
Peace Manny,
I agree with the vast majority of your points, and your article was hilarious. It was very well-written, and your objectives were clear, and accomplished.
> Kirsten
However, there are many negative stereo-typical terms pertaining to Arabs, and Arab-Americans. Busta didn’t use, or even allude to, any of them.
There is significant historical and present evidence of the negativity associated with the words ‘nigger,’ ‘nigga, and ‘negro’ However, the argument over air-ub vs. ay-rab is a more nuanced, syllabic one. If I’m wrong, I invite anyone to provide me an example of an Arab person being beaten, enslaved, ostracized, and marginalized, and being labeled an ay-rab, as opposed to air-ub to show the derogatory distinction.
I know quite a few people in NY, and other cities in the US, who pronounce it ay-rab, and mean not the slightest disrespect. Busta obviously falls into that category. For people to call him racist and insensitive to an entire culture because of his very common, and widely accepted, pronunciation, is ridiculous.
As for the Qur’an usage…that was sheer ignorance, and very disrespectful to the Muslim faith. He should have known better, and once he did know better he should have apologized. That is, if he cares about offending devout Muslim fans. If he doesn’t, that is an issue between him and Allah.
I posed the Tupac question because I personally believe it to be similar, and I’m genuinely curious about the answer. The Virgin Mary is the most revered woman in Christianity, and is very much respected in other religions such as Islam. Growing up in a Catholic school (though I’m not Catholic), I recited my Hail Marys every day. Where was the outrage over mentioning the Mother of Jesus in a record that spilled violence, and stated ‘Revenge is like the sweetest joy, next to getting pu$$y’? Why is the general population so offended about disrespect towards another religion, yet not the religion of the majority in the US?
This is a manufactured controversy, in a time when Arab is synonymous with Muslim, and is a flash word that brings forth many emotions for different reasons, and the “controversy” surrounding this song provides the ideal forum in which to air them.
I say again, where was this national outrage when Muslim Arabs were being profiled, arrested, and assaulted after 9-11?
In my opinion, Hip-Hop in general, and Busta specifically, is being vilified, and conceptualized as ignorant by certain people eager to do so.
If Muslims are angry, they have a right to be. If Arabs are angry, that’s their prerogative. But before WE, as African-Americans get angry, we should sweep around our own front door first. I get angry every time I see a sistah with weave down her back shaking her ass for a few dollars in a video with a brotha slinging dope, with a gun in his pocket next to his money clip; and then when he receives an award for said video, the first person he thanks is Jesus. I get angry, and no one has done a damn thing about it.
I do not believe that “boys should be boys,” or that Busta should get a pass on this. However, I don’t believe he should spend the rest of his career with a scarlet ‘R’ on his forehead. The word ‘nigga’ gets thrown around like a g-string at a strip club. and it’s OK. We disrespect our own people, our own history, our own sisters, on a daily basis in some of the trash that comes out now; yet where is the outrage?
Why haven’t songs glorifying the drug business, and drug consumerism been banned? Why haven’t songs describing salacious acts been banned, at least during hours when our youth can listen. Yet, every day, like clock work, on shows such as 106 & Park, our people objectifying OUR people is proudly displayed.
ALL the immaturity, insensitivity, sexism, classism, et al, prevalent in Hip-Hop needs to be addressed. This band-wagon controversy will hopefully spawn more conversation, analysis, and debate that will hopefully help change the face of Hip-Hop, and return respect to our culture so that it once again resembles its “Birthplace.”
Thank you very much for your very interesting, in depth feedback. I agree, intelligent people discussing the state and future of Hip-Hop is a beautiful thing.
Much respect,
Kirsten
PS~ The 80’s were the Golden Era! I bet you were rockin’ that Electric Kingdom!
> Kirsten
[...] I Was Getting Arab Money Too | Black Power Posted in December 9th, 2008 by in Uncategorized » I Wish I Was Getting Arab Money Too | Black Power Yes, if one chooses to be offended by this little ditty, the lyrics provide ample opportunity. [...]
> » » I Wish I Was Getting Arab Money Too | Black Power White House On Best Political Blogs: News And Info On White House
My entire response to your comment still won’t post, Manny. But I completely agree with you, and appreciate you taking the time to read this. All conversations for the love of Hip-Hop are a good thing!
Respect,
Kirsten
> Kirsten
[...] issue; however, since this has already been done multiple times (here, here, here, here, here, and here) and since I’m more interested in how S. Solar, T-Rex, and Ziriums rewrite the song in the [...]
> “Government Money” a remix of “Arab Money” by Supreme Solar, T-Rex, and Ziriums « A Tunanina…
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