Shaaban Abdel Rahim

Shaaban Abdel Rahim (Arabic: شعبان عبد الرحيم‎), also known as Sha'bola (Arabic: شعبولا‎), (15 March 1957 – 3 December 2019)[1] was an Egyptian pop (Sha'abi) singer, formerly working as makwagi (man who irons clothing) and known for catchy songs with political lyrics.[2][3]

Shaaban Abdel Rahim
شعبان عبد الرحيم
Birth nameShabaan Abdelrahim
Born(1957-03-15)March 15, 1957
Cairo, Egypt
DiedDecember 3, 2019(2019-12-03) (aged 62)
Cairo, Egypt
GenresSha'abi
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1980s–2019

Introduction

Sha'bān Abdel Rahīm was born in Cairo, Egypt and worked for many years in poverty as a foot-operated laundry presser before his songs catapulted him into stardom. Following a string of sensationalist hits, Abdel Rahīm became one of the most popular Egyptian sha'bī singers. Egyptian Sha'bī is a category of popular class music that can be described as urbanized folk music.[4]

In 2000, Sha'bān's breakthrough song "Ana Bakrah Israel" (I Hate Israel) accompanied by the catchy refrain "But I Love Amr Moussa", caused a great deal of controversy, and many were surprised that it passed Egyptian censors.[5] Many of Shaaban's songs were sold informally on cheaply processed cassette tapes. His poor background, informal language, and frank lyrics have made him very popular with the Egyptian public.

Since then, Sha'bān has continued to produce popular political songs, often quickly following current events. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, he produced a song titled "Yā 'Amm 'Arabī" (Literally: "Oh Arab People," meaning "Hey Arabs"). His song "Bin Bin Bin Bin Laden" was on the Egyptian airwaves before startled state censors banned it.[6] He got back at the top of the Arab hit parade with "The Attack on Iraq" / "Don't Bomb Iraq".[6][7] The hit could be heard from taxis in downtown Cairo streets:

Enough!
Chechnya! Afghanistan! Palestine! Southern Lebanon! Golan Heights!
And now Iraq, too? And now Iraq, too?
It's too much for people! Shame on you!
Enough! Enough! Enough![8]

In 2005, he produced a song about the Muhammed cartoon controversy entitled "We’re All Out of Patience",[9] and in 2006 a song about the 2006 Israeli-Lebanon conflict. During 2010 Ramadan season, an episode with Sha'bān, in Ibrahim Issa's Hamra (Red) television talk show, was focusing on defending the right to smoke hashish.[10]

Islām Khalīl, the songwriter and an Arabic teacher at an elementary school in Qalyubia responsible for "I hate Israel", "Bombing Iraq" and other politically contentious songs sung by the performer, said he had to teach Abdel Rahīm the meaning behind some of the ideas behind his songs.[3]

Death

Abdel Rahim died on 3 December 2019 at the age of 62 in Cairo due to heart failure.[11][12]

References
  1. "Shaaban Abdel Rahim Passes Away at 62". Sada El balad. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  2. The Fool Sings a Hero's Song: Shaaban Abdel Rahim, Egyptian Shaabi, and the Video Clip Phenomenon by James R. Grippo, TBS 16, 2006
  3. He Hates Israel, Too Meet Islam Khalil, the brains behind I Hate Israel and makwagi crooner Shaaban Abdel Rahims other political hits, by Yasmin Moll, EgyptToday May 2004
  4. News, N. B. C. (May 15, 2005). "Transcript for May 15". msnbc.com.
  5. "Shaaban Abdel Rahim passes away at 62". Egypt Today.
  6. Anti-war song a hit in Egypt, by Philip Smucker in Cairo, 12 March 2003 In 2003
  7. BBC News: Arabs rock to anti-war song, published March 11, 2003
  8. Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War, by Anthony Shadid, page 16
  9. Kristeligt Dagblad: Egyptisk popsanger til kamp mod Danmark, published February 23, 2006 (in Danish)
  10. Views, overviews and opinions, This year's Ramadan talk shows, Osama Kamal, Al-Ahram Weekly, Cairo, 2–8 September 2010, Issue No. 1014, Entertainment Archived 15 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  11. "National Icon Shaaban Abdel Reheem Dies at Age 62". Cairo Scene.
  12. "Popular Egyptian singer Shaaban Abdel Rahim dies in Cairo". Arab News. December 3, 2019.
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