A-WA Join French Duo Acid Arab for a Daring New Video

Explore Acid Arab’s new video for their song “Gul L’Abi”, featuring A-WA, a Yemenite-Israeli trio of sisters known for mixing Yemenite-traditional music with hip-hop and electronic music. The video was directed by Behsat Veyseloglu, an Istanbul-based filmmaker. Acid Arab are a Paris-based duo with a goal to mix “Eastern” music with techno, in order to create what they call “Oriental acid music.” These themes are vividly showcased in their newest music video, which at best could be considered an attempt at an innovative enterprise, and at worst Orientalist appropriation. The video features three self-assured burka-clad women (we're assuming are A-WA), driving a car, dancing and (out of all things) vaping. Acid Arab might have perceived the video to be an ode to Arab women and their empowerment, however the whole thing feels dicey and we can’t help but feel uncomfortable. Despite the fact that they are collaborating with a Yemenite trio, there is something suspect in the Paris-based duo’s depiction of Middle Eastern women that renders it a bit tone deaf. Either way it’s a bold effort, and the viewer gets to decide the verdict.

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