Wednesday, September 13, 2006

MC Serch, Arab DJ Waleed Coyote Work On 'Peace in the Middle East'

Michael "MC Serch" Berrin and Greensboro, North Carolina DJ Waleed Coyote will collaborate on a compilation titled Peace in the Middle East, a new album made up of Arab and Jewish artists.
Serch, a Jewish rapper and member of famed '90s rap group 3rd Base and DJ Waleed Coyote, an Arab DJ on Greensboro's 102 Jamz and Othaz Records executive, announced the project, which aims to bring awareness to issues in the Middle East and to begin a peace process between the two cultures utilizing
Hip-Hop music.
"I am very excited about this project," MC Serch told AllHipHop.com. "I am very proud of all of the artists that are involving their time and energy to talk about peace, talk about the importance of living together, being peaceful together, and coexisting together. Hopefully through hip-hop, our word and our
music, we can spread a positive message that will be heard."
Rappers already attached to the project include Ill Bill, Yatty, Noose, Abnormal, Moxberg, whuthisname and others. DJ Waleed Coyote compared to album to 1990's Stop The Violence Movement's historic recording "Self Destruction."
According to DJ Waleed Coyote, a portion of the proceeds will go toward benefiting millions of children refugees in Palestine, Iraq and Israel and Lebanon, where millions more were recently displaced during a war between Israel and Lebanon-based political/religious group Hezbollah.
DJ Waleed Coyote, born Waleed Hanhan, is particularly close to the situation because his father is Palestinian and his mother is Lebanese. The DJ lived in Lebanon until he was eight-years-old, when he moved to the United States.
"I was a fan of 3rd Base since I saw them as I was watching Yo!
MTV Raps!" DJ Waleed Coyote told AllHipHop.com. "Their videos would play and I was a real fan. I always knew he was just like me, but he belongs to another religion and culture. And that religion and culture that I'm supposed to beef with. But there wasn't any, it was like meeting a cousin, because we both love Hip-Hop. For me to be able to work with him was a big look and it's something people really need. My father is still in Beirut to this day, and he [Serch] has people in Israel so with the situation going on it's a big look."
Peace in the Middle East is scheduled to hit stores in 2007. For more information visit
www.othaz.com