CAIRO: The Gezira Youth Center on Cairo's Zamalek island will host a free Arabic hip-hop concert tonight at 5pm. The event, called "The Voice of the Streets," is intended to showcase the best Arab hip-hop artists and celebrate the dissident spirit of their music, which contributed to the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. The event will include rappers from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Palestine for the first time. A press release issued by the organizers says the artists will “remind everyone that the struggle for freedom and peace in the region is far from over and that freedom of speech and artistic expression can never be taken for granted." Among the rappers performing is famous Tunisian rapper El General, whose song "Rais el Beled" (President of the Country) became something of an anthem during Tunisia's 2011 revolution and earned him a place on Time Magazines list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2011. Other performers include Mc Swat, Malikah, Edd, Khotta B, El Far3i, DJ Sotusura, Boikutt Arabian Knightz, Mc Amin, and Deeb. This event was organized by Immortal Entertainment, Turntables in the Camps, and the Danish Center for Culture and Development (DCCD). Entrance to the Gezira Youth Center is 5LE (U.S. $0.85).
