Palestinian record label and collective BLTNM was founded in the West Bank in 2015 after a catalytic studio session between producer Al Nather, rapper and songwriter Shabjdeed and creative director and audio engineer Shabmouri. After years working together. and despite the logistical limitations that come with being situated in occupied Palestine, the collective have more recently started to tour, presenting sold out shows in Egypt, Jordan and the UK.

BLTNM is now a larger collective but still with a cohesive sonic identity. After honing a UK-influenced leftfield bass and trap sound, the label is now stretching beyond its trademark dark hiphop and towards an exploratory sound they refer to as “Arab-futurism” or “Arab neo-synth wave”. This playlist contains selections from releases that embrace this new direction, as well as older tracks embodying the label’s early years.

Shabjdeed, Riyadiyat
“Fi Harb”

“I didn’t build a house, but I built BLTNM”, raps label co-founder Shabjdeed on this 2019 single featuring Ramallah artist Riyadiyat. Shabjdeed is at his most playful lyrically here, rapping about everything from rockets reaching Antartica to refusing to leave the house, all over a bouncy drill beat. A live favourite, the track manages to sound fun even as Shabjdeed conveys the gravity of the socio-political situation in Palestine, delivered in his usual proud yet relaxed and matter of fact way.

Fawzi
“Kilmeh”
From 2000 EP

“Kilmeh” sounds great in the car and the beat gets you hooked from the very start. Taken from rapper Fawzi’s 2021 EP 2000, the track fuses experimental beats with impeccable flow and lyricism. The black and white music video for the track shows various members of BLTNM including Fawzi, Shabjdeed and Al Nather gathered in front of the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela in Ramallah, donated by the municipality of Johannesburg to the Palestinian people.

Shabjdeed
“Aghla al Ghawali”

Maybe the most sentimental song in the catalogue, “Aghla al Ghawali” is a BLTNM classic from 2018. Shabjdeed’s ballad-like Auto-Tuned singing about a loved one is juxtaposed with a dance beat in a rare departure from his usual rap flows. Watch the crowd dance to the song when it was played as the outro to a 2018 set in Ramallah.

Shabjdeed & Al Nather
“Ya Ali”

The heavy bass track “Ya Ali” combines influences from traditional Palestinian wedding music and Iraqi music; a sonic shift that displays the label embracing more influences from around the Arab world. The 2021 single is a manifestation of the self-identified “Arab futurism” or “Arab synth-wave” direction that BLTNM is moving towards.

R3D
“Ramadan”
From R3D

“Ramadan” is taken from a self-titled EP by the trio R3D, consisting of Shabjdeed, Ramallah rapper Daboor and BLTNM’s newest member Ramadan. Here producer Al Nather samples Egyptian singer Aida el Ayoubi’s song “Warda”, providing a nostalgic feel while giving a nod to another Middle Eastern country that the label draws influence from. Warda (flower in Arabic) is a recurring theme for the record label, referenced in the track “Wen Ward” as well as Shabjdeed’s 2019 album Sindibad El Ward. The EP R3D, features two songs alongside “Ramadan”: “Ma Bijish” and “Bi Balash”. Together, all three songs form the phrase “Ramadan ma bijish bi balash”, meaning “Ramadan never comes without a cost”, a phrase that’s often repeated in BLTNM songs. It refers to the fact that the holy month of Ramadan routinely witnesses an escalation of violence from Israeli forces against Palestinians in Palestine.

Shabjdeed & Shabmouri
“Bombakshen”
From Sindibad El Ward

“A life of fear doesn’t suit us”, raps Shabjdeed on the closing track of Sindibad El Ward. The song’s more sombre and serious feel distinguishes it from the rest of the album, but itstill harbours the prideful quality that underpins all of BLTNM’s projects. Never shying away from where it came from, the label is aware of the circumstances surrounding how it was born and is proud of what it has created. That is what “Bombakshen” is about.

Daboor
“Wadda3”

Jerusalemite rapper Daboor’s “Wadda3” follows his 2021 EP El Gad3ana, which includes “Inn Ann”, BLTNM's most streamed song to date and considered by many to be the soundtrack of the May 2021 uprising in Palestine. “Wadda3”, meaning “Farewell”, was released on New Year's Eve 2022, and shows a more introspective Daboor, reflecting on his coping mechanisms and strategies to combat external circumstances of life in Jerusalem. Having shown us bravado and courage in the anthemic “Inn Ann”, the rapper is now inviting the listener to catch a glimpse of his inner life. This contemplativeness coupled with Arabic rhythm patterns makes good on BLTNM’s promise to evolve and explore its Arabness alongside new lyrical themes, while bidding 2022 farewell and looking to the future.

BLTNM appear live at London venue OSLO on 28 January. Read Nihal ElAasar's Unlimited Editions article in full in The Wire 465. Wire subscribers can also read the piece online via the digital library.