His people Gaza is at the top of Belly's mind. On Thursday, the Canadian-Palestinian rapper released the nine-track album 96 miles from Bethlehem as an ode to Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, with appearances by Elyanna, Saint Levant and MC Abdul.
“I still have a lot to say,” Belli he wrote on Instagram before the release of the project, the proceeds of which will support those affected by the Israeli attacks in Gaza and the West Bank.
Belly opens the album with “Metal Birds” about the Israeli airstrikes that have killed thousands of innocent Palestinians amid Israel's war with the terrorist group Hamas. (According to United Nationsmore than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7 attack by Hamas.)
'Patience vs Patients' opens with the sound of children's voices in a playground before a militaristic beat kicks in and Belly unleashes a powerful rap: “More than a feeling, I know we're dealing with a dangerous beast, kill us in the day , then they blame the deceased/There was no change, even when we came with evidence, because we gave it to a nation of sheep.
“Jenin's Song” is dedicated to the refugee camp of the same name, while Saint Levant features on “Baroudeh” and Palestinian-Chilean star Elyanna's vocals feature on “Maktub”, with both artists singing in Arabic. “Thank you Belly for speaking up for our people,” Elyanna wrote on Instagram Stories. Saint Levant called the partnership with the belly “a Childhood dream come true.”
Saint Levant is also set to release his own self-titled album Deira, dedicated to Gaza on June 7. The album takes its name from a hotel that his father designed and built and where he spent most of his childhood. He said the building was destroyed by an Israeli attack in December. “As we all know, Palestinians only know resilience. We will come back and rebuild,” he said He wrote in a separate post on Instagram. “This album, which I spent over a year making, imagines a comeback DEIRA to a liberated Palestine”.
96 miles from Bethlehem Tracklist
1. Metal Birds
2. Blue Bags
3. Patience vs. patients
4. Jenin's song
5. Crucified
6. Baroudeh (ft. Saint Levant)
7. Carry Me (ft. Ibrahim Maalouf)
8. Maktub (ft. MC Abdul)
9. The gift, the curse and the fate
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/belly-96-miles-from-bethlehem-honors-palestinian-roots-1235030257/