An Analysis of Busta Rhymes “Arab Money”

By Anslem Samuel

Some may argue that Blacks (in America) can’t be racist because we as a people lack any real power, and without power one can not oppress another sector of human beings. While there might be some validity in that belief, I feel that racism has less to do with power and more to do with disrespect, ignorance and unprovoked hate based on one’s race. Sometimes this can manifest itself through purposeful actions, but other times it can be a completely unintentional act. I’d like to believe that Busta Rhymes participated in the latter.

By now most have heard Busta’s latest single “Arab Money,” where the veteran MC delivers braggadocios lyrics about his opulence that are peppered with references to stereotypes about people of Middle Eastern descent. To top it all off, producer Ron Browz employs an AutoTuned hook that includes a mimicking of an Arabic chant and the mispronunciation of the word “Arab.” Despite popular belief, Arab is pronounced Ah-rab not Ay-rab. The latter phrasing is actually considered derogatory, similar to how many African-American’s view the N-word. So this raises the question, is the title of Busta’s latest single racist?

To someone ignorant to the negative connotation attached to the usage of Ay-rab in the song, the answer may be no. But what if Busta, or any rapper, had made a similar song using another derogatory term? Imagine a White artist releasing “Ni**er Money,” a German artist releasing “Kike Cash,” or a Russian artist releasing “Spic Paper.” All of those examples would spark immediate controversy and protest, but somehow Busta’s “Arab Money” slipped past his label’s censor board. Perhaps, America’s current “war on terror” has made Middle Easterners the new “ni**ers” and label execs didn’t bat an eye at the racist title, but I’d like to believe it was merely an oversight that could be chalked up to ignorance. Then came the remix.

Although Browz has since rerecorded the chorus for the original to properly pronounce Ah-rab, the official remix of “Arab Money,” which features Diddy, Swizz Beatz, T-Pain, Akon, Bow Wow and Lil Wayne, now includes the addition of an interpretation of an Arabic holy prayer. This is the equivalent of a rapper blending the Our Father prayer into a secular song. Not only would better judgment likely prevail, such blatant disrespect of another culture would not fly. Still, the same common courtesy was not given to our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters regarding this release. In fact, the video not only features Arabic calligraphy throughout the opening credits, but several people sportin’ Keffiyeh scarves, which are traditionally worn in Middle Eastern countries.

This all brings us back to the initial question: Is Busta Rhymes’ song, and it’s accompanying video, racist?