BELLY'S REBELLION

The rapper Belly, born Ahmad Baishe in Jenin, Palestine and raised in Ottawa, Canada, emerges as one of the unlikeliest candidates for Hip-Hop fame. Yet his blend of rough reality and smooth rhythms has brought him success as both a producer and performer. The winner of Best Rap Video at the 2007 Much Music Video Awards sat down with HIGH TIMES to discuss politics, music and the role of marijuana in his work and life. Interview by Danny Danko

HT: So here we are with hip hop artist Belly, AKA Rebellyous,
Belly: Yes sir!

You started out as a producer and not a rhymer right?
Well, rhyming was always my thing. I probably seen my first commercial success as a producer slash writer. But you know, hip hop has always been my love. Poetry was my way in. Kinda like my prerequisite.

You also have the unique experience of being a Palestinian-born rapper living in Canada. Do you ever go back to the Palestinian Territories?
I haven’t been back yet. I’ve been back to the Middle East in general, but not back there.

Many of those countries have a history of hashish production. Did you witness anything like that?
Oh yeah, well aware of that. You know, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco. Great hash man!

What’s the most important thing you want people to understand about the ongoing situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip?
I think a lot of people, especially as of late, have given up on peace. The peace process hasn’t really worked for either side. In general, I think we need to find something new to do. I’m not trying to say I got the solution, but what I can say is that what’s going down right now is not the right thing. Aggression, occupation, war. That’s not the right thing. When people are put in those type of situations, it only leads to more war and violence. Atrocities and massacres that no humans should have to face.

You have a song called History of Violence that directly addresses the situation as well. Do you think that marijuana or hash could play a role in changing the cycle of violence in the region?
At the end of the day, that’s what calmed me down believe it or not. I stopped taking anger management classes when I started smoking weed. And my whole life growing up, that’s what I was involved in. Anger management from grade four on - special classes after school due to a lot of aggression problems that I had.

And you’re saying that marijuana helped?
Hell yeah! One hundred percent. And not just me - when I went to the school counselor that was the whole solution. Weed changed my entire behavior for the better and not only that, weed was a factor in how I ended up finding my talents.

So marijuana plays a role in your creativity?
I’ve always been writing but the first time I freestyled, I was high. That’s a guarantee.

You’re probably one of the few rappers to cross over into the hockey world with your hit song, Go Sens Go!, which became a theme song for the Ottawa Senators?
Yeah, I saw a need for it. The same people going to the Sens game are the people buying my album. My fans vary from all walks of life. Black, white, hockey fans, basketball fans. My music can appeal to a variety of audiences. I wanted to do a little anthem. Plus, Ray Emery, [Ottawa Senator’s Goalie], that’s my man right there.

You did some drug hustling in the past, correct?
My parents always made sure there was a hot plate of food on the table and a roof over my head. But for the things you see and get jealous about. That’s basically why I hustled.

What’s your take on the marijuana scene in Canada right now?
I think it’s great. It’s pretty tolerant and there’s a lot of great weed out there. You can’t throw it in anybody’s face, but in moderation, I think it’s tolerated. People don’t think it’s a big problem up there.

You toured recently with Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. I can imagine there was a fair amount of smoked out busses.
Hell yeah! Smoke out busses, arenas, stages, crowds, bathrooms [laughter]. Anything that was in the vicinity was smoked out. That’s how it went down.

Your new album, The Revolution, is comprised of two separately named CDs. One called The People and the other called The System.
Yeah, because I believe there’s a lot of revolutionary things about my project, the first being that I’m Palestinian, that’s a new perspective to Hip-Hop. I gave my perspective honestly, without holding back. Personal issues, political issues, that was The People. The System was more the laid-back, party music. Feel-good music.

It just depends on your mood. I’m not the type of dude that believes that every day is gonna be a good day. But you’ve got to take the good days and the bad days and live with it. And this CD expresses that. Life music. I’m a life artist. That’s what I do.

Any closing message to the HIGH TIMES readership?
Yeah, you’ve gotta smoke weed everyday, baby. This is what it is. I don’t know what they told you, people tripping trying to say this is a drug and this or that. At the end of the day, let me tell you something – alcohol is legal, and it’s killing more people than guns. Cigarettes are legal, and they got people talking with holes in their throat. You can’t even overdose on marijuana. So all I’ve got to say is either make the harmful ones illegal or legalize this shit right here.

Learn more about Belly at bellylive.com or myspace.com/bellylive