Singing the pulse of the Egyptian-Arab street: Shaaban Abd al-Rahim and the geo-pop-politics of fast food

Abstract

Veteran Egyptian shaabi singer Shaaban Abd al-Rahim recently attained superstar status as the ‘interpreter of the pulse of the Egyptian-Arab street’ due to a pop hit proclaiming his hatred for Israel. Shaaban’s notoriety has been further enhanced by his abortive sponsorship of an ‘indigenous’ sandwich marketed in Egypt by McDonald's. Contracted by the fast food giant precisely because of his popularity, the singer was soon after dismissed in the wake of political pressure outside Egypt regarding the song that had made him a star. The deliberate turn to a singer like Shaaban for product sponsorship, especially for a commercial to be broadcast by state-run media, underscores weakening boundaries between what is ‘classically’ approved and what is still considered to be ‘vulgar’ or ‘low-class’ music, however popular it is among wide sectors of the population. For the moment, at least, Shaaban has become a figure with whom even a scornful intelligentsia must contend.