Mona Haydar
Mona Haydar is an American rapper and chaplain.[1]
Haydar's debut song "Hjabi (Wrap My Hijab)" quickly went viral. [2] Billboard Magazine named her 2017 debut single “Hijabi (Wrap My Hijab)” one of “The 20 Best Protest Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks”[3] as well as one of the “Top 25 Feminist Anthems.”[4] The song builds bridges of hope and understanding while dispelling myths, correcting stereotypes, and educating the world about who she is and what she stands for.[5] The song launched her career and garnered her both street cred as well as critical acclaim.[6]
NPR called her debut video for “Hijabi (Wrap My Hijab)” “lemonade-esque,” and that the visuals “channel Beyoncé.”[7]
Haydar's second single "Dog" featured Jackie Cruz of Orange is the New Black.[8] The video featured a PSA about violence against women, taking on the problem of global toxic patriarchy.[9]
Her debut 2018 E.P “Barbarican” was met with critical acclaim:
“Mona Haydar has a slick, barbed flow; a Masters in Christian Ethics focusing on Empire, Colonization, White Supremacy, and Ecology; 13 years under her belt as a performance poet; two children; a forthcoming EP, and a lot to say.”[10]
“Her music is also very, very fun. Haydar’s lyrics leap between the wry and emotional, the beats are layered and lively, and her delivery is animated, as if she’s hours-deep in a spirited, intimate conversation. “All I wanna do is have some fun by the beach, man,” she spits on “American.” “But here come ICE and that travel ban.” It’s funny, it’s real, and it’s urgent as hell.”[11]
“The five song-long EP, along with Haydar's previous singles, address a wide range of subjects from sexual abuse and suicide to religious critics and the rejection of Western ideals and white supremacy. And the artist somehow manages to cover all of this while still making bops.”[12]
Haydar was raised in Flint, Michigan. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Damascus, Syria in 1971. Haydar was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She was an “American Born Abroad.” She has a Masters Degree in Christian Ethics from Union Theological Seminary.[13]
In 2015, Mona and her husband Sebastian set up a stand in Cambridge, Massachusetts, inviting people to “Talk to a Muslim,” offering them coffee, donuts, and flowers as a means to “replace trauma with love.”[14] Mona gained a large following after her post about their project went viral, and it catapulted her and her work to an international audience.[15] Her music is a continuation of that work.
In 2016, at six months pregnant with her second child, Haydar was at Standing Rock, taking a stand with the indigenous peoples of the U.S in opposition to the Key Stone Pipeline.[16] Her song "American" from her EP "Barbarican," speaks to some of her experiences there. [11] Haydar's song "Lifted" encourages community building and healing from imperial and colonial wounds through the strategies she learned from the likes of James Cone and others while getting her master’s degree in Christian Ethics at Union Theological Seminary.[17]
Haydar appeared in the Microsoft holiday campaign “#SpreadHarmony”[18] [19]
Discography
- Barbarican (2018)
References
- ↑ "5 religious leaders weigh in on Drake's version of God's plan".
- ↑ Radloff, Jessica. "The Brilliant Way One Muslim Woman Is Working to Bring About Change".
- ↑ "The 20 Best Protest Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks".
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8022687/top-feminist-anthems-songs.
- ↑ "Mona Haydar Speaks Your Language". Psychology Today.
- ↑ Jones, Ja'han (23 August 2018). "Mona Haydar Is A Muslim, A Rapper And A Woman Who Doesn't Need Saving" – via Huff Post.
- ↑ "Hijabi Artist Channels Beyoncé For Debut Of Her 'Resistance Music' And Video".
- ↑ "WATCH: Hijabi-American rapper Mona Haydar's must-see music video".
- ↑ "Mona Haydar's New Music Video "Dog" Tackles The Patriarchy Head-On".
- ↑ "Mona Haydar Is a Force to Be Reckoned With". 13 August 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Syrian-American rapper Mona Haydar breaks down her new Barbarican EP Track By Track: Stream". 2 November 2018.
- ↑ Triche, Tyra Nicole. "Syrian-American Rapper Mona Haydar Wants You To Rewire Your Brain".
- ↑ "Mona Haydar Breaks The Mold For Muslim Rap: 'You Just Have To Do You'".
- ↑ "Meet the Young Muslim Woman Fighting Against 'the Hijacking of My Religion' in the Aftermath of Terrorist Attacks".
- ↑ "Faced With Fear, A Muslim Woman Makes A Stand — By Setting One Up".
- ↑ "Muslimah at Standing Rock: An interview with Mona Haydar - altM". 5 December 2016.
- ↑ "Get "Lifted" With Mona Haydar's New Video". 18 October 2018.
- ↑ "In Year of Anti-Muslim Vitriol, Brands Promote Inclusion".
- ↑ "Microsoft TV Commercial, 'Celebrate the Spirit of the Season' Song by Macy Gray". iSpot.tv.
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