Oh, the places hip hop will take you! This summer, in the spirit of music and service, it took us to the Kingdom of Morocco. Vibin’ off the fellowship and celebration that was the On Purpose release party in Lancaster at the end of May and armed wit a brand new album to promote and share, in July, we traveled back to the continent of Africa. Fillin’ the locals’ ears wit Sean Carter’s South Hill beats and Repeat Offenders’ rhymes, our willing hands gave time and energy and established relations with our new Muslim friends.
Our mission? Via this music we create, spread love, touch others, and just plain help. Our days were spent workin’ with disabled children and young adults in an orphanage in Rabat, Morocco’s capital. From 8:00am to 1:00pm, Monday through Friday, we would help the children out of bed, lift them into their wheelchairs, wheel them to the washroom, remove their clothing and diapers, lift them into the wash basins, bathe them, dry them, redress them, place them back into their wheelchairs, and spoon feed them breakfast, before takin’ them outside for rides in their wheelchairs around the orphanage’s courtyard. After a few hours of sharin’ fresh air, exhilaratin’ rides, and gigglin’ grins, we wheeled them back inside to feed them their lunch.
The afternoons and evenings were spent interacting through the use of conversational French and Arabic and basking in Islamic culture and its practices. Whether it was marinatin’ on the climate and atmosphere of Rabat’s Casbah and Medina, ridin’ the train to visit the mosque in Casablanca (the third largest in the world), our host, Mohamed Mahmoudi, learnin’ us and debunkin’ the myths that have grown to surround those in the Muslim community, listenin’ to Moroccan hip hop and a splash of Lumidee’s “Never Leave You (Uh-Oooh)” on Rabat’s airways during our taxi rides, or Khadija Channouf teachin’ us the details and specifics of creatin’ Moroccan dishes, we were humbly blessed and deeply touched by the opportunity to make the trip, expand the Repeat Offender family to yet another country, and by the outpouring of supportive thoughts and prayers for our safety and health while we were away.
Upon returning, what again became apparent was the penetrating force of music, specifically hip hop. After extending himself to get to know us, we blessed Yasin, one of our new Moroccan friends working alongside us at the orphanage, wit a copy of On Purpose. While sharing listens of J. Period’s Q-Tip, The [Abstract] Best Vol. 1 mixtape (if y’all haven’t been put on to J. Period and his Best Of mixtapes yet, as Clinton Sparks says, please “get familiar”) with a few Moroccan acquaintances on the train from Rabat to Casablanca, it again becomes clear: hip hop is like a smile or the sunshine; it’s universally recognized and appreciated in any language.
Hip hop is worldwide. Hip hop is one love.
Thrill