With the beginning of spring comes the celebration of another underrepresented minority in America. Only made official by President Biden two years ago in 2021, National Arab-American Heritage Month recognizes and appreciates the contributions Arab-Americans have made to American culture. Syrian-American advocate Pierre Subeh’s campaign arduously for the acknowledgement of the struggles of Arab-Americans, especially following the anti-Arab sentiments that resulted from the 9/11 attacks. In honor of Subeh’s goal of recognizing Arabic culture and heritage, the theme of this month’s playlist (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6RwW3DSBFNfRFbFyMR0vcd) is Arabic music and artists.

To present the variety of Arabic music, we organized songs into different categories: religious (Islamic) songs, Arabic pop songs, and, to celebrate those of Arab descent, American pop songs created by Arab-American artists.

The most prevalent religion in Arab countries is Islam, so two types of Arabic Islamic songs, nasheeds and maqams, represent the religious contributions Arabs brought to the diversification of U.S. culture. Nasheeds and maqams bring to mind the diversity of faith and religion Arabs have contributed to America through their devotion to religion, predominantly Islam. Nasheeds are a type of Islamic music consisting of hymns that praise Allah, or God, and are generally very simple melodies. “Burdah Maula ya Salli” by Mesut Kurtis, “Ya Adheeman” by Ahmed Bukhatir, and “Who is the Loved One” by Alhaj Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Qadri all follow the theme of nasheeds of praising or thanking Allah and asking for His blessings. While nasheeds are typically geared towards followers of Islam, the singing can be very calming and provides a diversified listening experience for everyone. Maqams, on the other hand, focus more on music than singing and are a type of melody unique to Arabic music. “Maqam Nawa” by Safaafir and “Layali (Mawwal)” by Sabah Fakhri follow typical maqams in their instruments and melodies, but “Persepolis’s Mirage” by Anouar Brahem uses a variety of instruments (including oud, piano, drums, and double bass) to create a more surreal sound while still staying true to the idea of maqams.

Another well-known genre is Arabic pop music, which deviates from religious songs in its inclusion of female singers. Because it is haram, or forbidden according to the rules of Islam, to hear women sing, there are very few, if any, female singers in Islamic songs; however, there are many in non-religious music, like Arabic pop. “Ser Alyhayah” by Aseel Hameem is a love song, a topic similar to many American pop songs, and “Hatramdan Ramadan” is a song about Ramadan by Donia Samir Ghanem, both of which are very well-known songs by popular female Arab artists. One of the most popular artists in Arabic pop is Mohamed Ramadan; his and Super Sako’s song, “Tik Tok,” an extremely catchy tune named after the app, has become popular in America.

American hip-hop, in particular, has been greatly influenced by Arabic music. To highlight Arab artists in mainstream music, there are a myriad of American-pop songs created by Arab-American musicians. Faouzia is an up-and-coming Arab-American artist who has had many viral songs, including “RIP, Love,” which won public acclaim for its combination of Arab influence and music with American pop. In her singing, she employs Arabic trills and tonalities, which she grew up listening to. DJ Khaled, or Khaled Mohamed Khaled, is another Arab-American artist who has released numerous famous songs, one of which is “All I Do Is Win.” Formerly performing under the moniker Arab Attack, DJ Khaled credits his initial interest in music to Arabic music, which he listened to growing up. Throughout his career, he has additionally attributed his success to his faith in Islam. When asked about his Palestinian roots, he said, “I mean just to be able to say that I’m American Palestinian, that’s so beautiful.” Another especially popular Arab-American artist is Shakira, who has been prevalent in American pop music, namely due to her song, “Wherever, Whenever,” which contributed to her rise in popularity. Despite people best knowing Shakira as a Colombian artist, she emphasizes her Lebanese heritage in her songs through the instruments and by belly dancing in the choreography. For example, in “Ojos Así,” which includes Arabic lyrics, Shakira included the woodwind mijwiz and the doumbek drum, both of which are Arab instruments.

While all these Arab artists have undoubtedly contributed to American pop culture, Arabic influence on American culture is often overlooked or ignored entirely. It is important to pay respects to everything that has influenced our culture, and that is why April, as Arab-American Heritage Month, is such an important month.