Eu-rap-ia: Rap, Sufism and the Arab Qaṣīda in Europe

This chapter looks at the convergence of two global aesthetics provided by the Afro-American tradition of rap and by the Arabo-Islamic tradition of Sufi qaṣīda poetry in the careers of French Sufi rappers Abd Al Malik (born Régis Fayette-Mikano) and Kery James (born Alix Mathurin). In different ways, both Abd Al Malik and Kery James have drawn on the centuries-old tradition of the qaṣīda and adapted it to the context of French rap. Infusing the relatively young rap tradition of Europe with a set of images and themes drawn from the qaṣīda tradition that deeply resonate with the self-reflexive side of hip-hop aesthetics, these two artists have pushed the boundaries of the two genres to a point where the two have met each other and hybridised.