The world was never meant to shrink for 17-year-old Palestinian rapper MC Abdul. Though he grew up in a world that, to others, always seemed like it would only shrink and become smaller, a world where violence and war shrank dreams, it was the complete opposite for him. He chose to expand his world far beyond it, but still carry Gaza with him. Born in Gaza in 2008, and part of a new generation that grew up with social media, Abdul’s story could not simply be summarised as “a young Palestinian rapper who blew up on social media after being inspired by Eminem.” While it is true that he grew up being inspired by American rappers like Eminem, Tupac Shakur, and Jay-Z, the reality is that his story alone, even at this early stage of his career, outgrows them. His story is not simply about his name or his persona as a rapper, nor is it about how many hits he has made or charts he has topped, but about a homeland and a cause that live beyond him. A homeland whose music existed long before the noise of…
