MC Abdul learned English by memorizing the hip-hop records his father played for him. When he stood outside his school in Gaza and rapped for his classmates, the video traveled well beyond the schoolyard. This week the Palestinian rapper plays the East Coast dates of What We Carry, a Gaza benefit tour bringing music and first-person stories to churches in New York and Washington, D.C.
In an October interview with PAUSE’s India Das-Brown, Abdul traced his first single, “Shouting at the Wall,” back to hearing Nas’ “I Gave You Power.” He also recalled watching Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf win Arab Idol on television. Here was someone else from Gaza who had wanted to sing, and a kid watching at home could see where that had taken him.
Thursday, November 12, brings Abdul to Riverside Church in New York. UNRWA USA, the nonprofit organizing the tour, will present comedian Mo Amer with its first Humanitarian Heart Award, recognizing his work telling Palestinian and refugee stories through comedy and his series Mo. Doors open at 6 p.m. Eastern.
On Friday, November 13, Alana Hadid joins Abdul at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington. The Washington event listing gives the evening a 6 to 9 p.m. window, with doors at 6.
UNRWA USA says proceeds will support UNRWA’s Gaza emergency relief, including shelter and health care. Each stop has its own registration- Riverside Church on Thursday and Church of the Epiphany on Friday– and both require a ticket.
MC Abdul at UNRWA USA’s Gaza 5K in Dallas on September 28, 2024. Photo by FeaturingDallas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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