A Muslim music video station set to launch in Egypt, 4Shbab ("for youth"), has some factions of the nation in a tizzy. Religious hardliners say music isn't allowed in Islam at all, while women are griping that they don't have enough of a presence on the station. We wish everyone would just shut up and let 4Shbab get big enough to come and topple American MTV.
While every rotten xenophobe from Congress to Compton currently derides the Middle East as being a backwards, primitive civilization, they've sure as shit got at least two things right in those dusty lands: hummus and music videos. Surprise: Amazingly, you don't have to hire naked dancers to highlight your music! Here, 4Shbab's main goals in the words of two of its main proponents:
• "For a Muslim to be able to watch this channel and see that … they don't have to separate their religion from their culture."
• "We don't have a problem showing women, as long as it is according to Islamic standards."
Like communism, so simple on paper – "Let's promote kindness through music and not show strippers" – and yet seemingly unworkable here in the states. We can think of a variety of reasons why 4Shbab would be a failure were it to set up shop in New York City – sex sells and people are greedy, not enough gun-toting, teenagers like to masturbate to video girls, etc. – but we only need one example to highlight why it shouldn't, and what MTV, BET and VH1 could learn from eastern media empires:
Here's a video from Muslim rap group Native Deen currently running on 4Shbab. It's about helping others in need (lame, we know):
And here, a video that used to run frequently on MTV and BET, from American rapper Fat Joe. It's about throwing money at naked women:
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Love this post.
Most of the middle-east is not actually like this. This is wonderful because most popular Arabic music videos and Iranian music videos are like the worst American music videos (I mentioned only those two nations because my family listens to their music a lot…). It's actually worse because by immitating something so phony they make it phony phony crap. Also, a lot of the videos not only feature females acting like sluts, they actually look a shitload faker than they do in most popular American music vids. Seriously.
The Native Deen song has a nice beat, a good hook and a message. So even if MTV still played music videos, we'd never see it.
Nicely done, Native Deen guys. (I almost called you Native Deen Kids but I don't want to admit I'm old enough to do that)
As a music lover, ND's voice level was to high and they were off beat…more so, they didnt "flow" with the track. This makes it really irittating to listen too.
I dont know where they live but it is NOT the middle east.
LOL!!! And what you think, this channel is going to be profitable or thrive There in the Middle East! Thats a joke. Listen…While we here in the Free World can go the mall, schools, beaches, wherever the fuck to get some eye candy. Those folks down there only have MTV and MTVARABIA (Not really a channel) to have something to look at. Agree or Disagree with it, its a fact. The music video satellite channel industry in the middle east today are in direct and heated competition with each other. One of the main ways they do that is trying to outpace each other by airing daring (geographically) scenes. That is the more semi-nudism, the hinting of lesbianism and the such gets prop points on the street. Get Real. This channel will have absolutely no following but will remain open by a few rich dedicated individuals