ABSTRACT
Hip Hop’s political role is expressed and constructed through a series of translingual and translational techniques and strategies which are central in establishing a close connection between the production and reception of Hip-Hop music. As will be further shown, the music of diasporic Arab Hip-Hop artists is marked by a dynamic engagement with local political and social issues constantly resonating with the overall political function of Hip Hop on a global level. Different semiotic patterns, the written language and Big Hass’ body language, thus interact to reproduce a form of interaction with the audience, central to live performances. This is also achieved through questions and answers, posted in the blog, addressing the relationship between politics and Hip Hop in the Middle East, which testify to the dynamic role of Hip-Hop artists as rewriters and translators, rather than passive recipients, of their own representations of the Arab Spring.
