There are at least two reasons this delicate ballad by the Egyptian singer Luka Blue has gathered more than 2 million spins on Soundcloud already, and multiple lip-syncs on YouTube.
The first reason is its pure musical beauty. The second – its message.
The song is featured in the documentary “The Thread & The Wall“, which focuses on the situation of women in the contemporary Egyptian society. In “Hashrab Hashish” (هشرب حشيش), Luka Blue sums up the restrictions of growing up as a girl in the country. And as a remedy to all of that she suggests – marijuana.
In the chorus, she sings: “My gradnma told me girls should wear dresses. My mom told me I shouldn’t play in mud. My aunt that wears a veil told me to sing freely but I’m going to hell, my dad told me nothing… So I’ll do the right thing and smoke hasheesh.”
Translation: Filip Abdel Malek
Luka Blue on Soundcloud, Facebook.