French rap star Abd al Malik inspires change among inner city youth

Abd al Malik embraced rap as a way to channel his frustration, tell his story and critique society. Abd al Malik, French rap star. Photo: B.F.C. French rapper Abd al Malik has no trouble explaining why young men in the French ghettos usually celebrate New Year’s Eve by torching cars. “When you live in a country that acts like you don’t exist, you want to be recognized,” he says. “It’s like someone who contemplates suicide because he wants to say, ‘Hello, I am here!’” Growing up in the Neuhof housing project outside of Strasbourg in northeastern France, Abd al Malik had his own way of getting recognition. He lived a double life as a straight “A” student and a thief and drug dealer. But as he watched many of his contemporaries unravel from addiction or lose their lives to violence, he channeled his own anger into music and is now one of France’s most successful rappers. His music is an ... (link)