Jad Shwery Exposes Arabs With The Modern Sense, Whatever That Means!
I remember many years back in one of the Miss Lebanon competitions, one of the contestants who then went on to carry the title, was the biggest mockery in the country. She got asked a question of “What would you talk about Lebanon to those who do not know it internationally?” Her answer was something along the lines of “Lebanon is a beautiful country, we can go to the beach and ski in the same day, and we have… shopping!”
Lebanese identity under the umbrella of Arab identity (for marketing and financial benefits and purpose) has been a big dilemma ever since the creation of the country. Are we more connected to the West or the Arabs? Who do we identify with? Are we an open society or a traditional one? What is our society about, culture, values? How do we deal with a divided image internally let alone what we project on to the rest of the world? We do not want to be linked to any negative terrorist connotations yet part of our society follows and belongs to Hezbollah… You get the picture.
Today, I just stumbled upon someone who apparently seems to have solved these issues - a wannabe pop Lebanese phenomena called Jad Choueiry - oh no wait! He now spells his name Jad Shwery. He has just summed it up in his new “hit” Funky Arabs.
I don’t know where to start here but I will encourage you to see the song and video clip first - FUNKY ARABS
This is the end of the world, the Lebanese world at least. Every single one of us should be hanging their heads in shame over this blatant show of superficial bling and apparent pride over it!!! I do respect personal expressions and opinions but this guy has singlehandedly summed up the Lebanese, no wait, Arab identity and transitioned it into the modern times through a vulgar cheap repetitive non-original style. What looks and sounds like a random vomit of a bad copy of a Pop and R&B video is done by an all-Arab cast, as is stated in the disclaimer at the beginning of the song. Let us all give a big cheer for all those Arabs who have perfected the art of copying and plagiarism. Where is the creativity, the uniqueness, the Arabness?????
Jad wants to correct all those (Westerners) who view Arabs as terrorists. Please stop! We are not bombers, we are shallow botox-infused fake tanned skimpily dressed Miami-wannabe cool hip high drunk modern Arabs. Our women are whores and our men loaded! We can also even sing in Ingleesh!!!
In a country of fusion of various religions and cultures with a long and deep history, we should be coming out with something that is really special and out of the ordinary. Maybe I am asking too much, maybe this is really what we have become. But I still refuse to believe it and definitely let it represent me. This ridiculous shit needs to stop coming out!
This post is dedicated to Rasha who asked the great question: “Can’t we just be educated open minded peaceful career-oriented intelligent funny Lebanese with LOVE HANDLES?”
April 15th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I am honoured babes… thx
best part “Our women are whores and our men loaded! We can also even sing in Ingleesh!!!”
sanx monsieur shwery for amusing us with you artistic masterpieces, glad to know that am a sexy girl that will rock people’s world … after all I am not a *puts on the worst Lebanese accent out there * - Bom”b”er
gtg, have to wear my bikini that matches my bling bling for my my dita von teese martini glass show…
ciao
April 15th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Britney dressed as Enrique, in a Pussycat Dolls overdose,parading to a un-catchy tune for a very low noble cause, that no one needed to fight for to begin with.
Shou ya Jad? shou hayda dude?
No doubt we have good production values but unfortunately with no added values..
It’s ok, it’s ok.. let’s say it made us talk about it.. it’s a good start..
next?
t.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:47 am
loved the comments people left on youtube…this is one of my favorite parts: Kos o5tak jad ya garen shu enak ra7el
April 16th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Nice piece Hala. I agree on what you mentioned. Unfortunately we always turn around and manipulate when it come to defining modernity and openess. Frankly, I liked the video from the artistic & production side, but the completely whory & bitchy set was over expressing to the degree that it provokes our feelings negatively.
Anyways, now we will stat hearing the negative feedback that will summon all Lebanese of being sex-oriented western-driven creatures.
What you said “we are shallow botox-infused fake tanned skimpily dressed Miami-wannabe cool hip high drunk modern Arabs” is true without any least discussion.
Now what?? well as Rasha said. Lets do some hype ….
April 16th, 2009 at 6:50 am
Beautiful Sobheyyeh! a3njad I dont believe this!!!
Great words halloul. mwah
April 16th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Not to mention that the word “Funky” has become very outdated; as outdated as the video is. Nowadays, it just means “bad smell.”
April 16th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I THINK THIS IS THE BEST CLIP I VE EVER SEEN COMING OUT OF AN ARABIC SINGER….
I SIMPLY LOVE IT, I EVEN THINK IT HAS A CHANCE ABROAD although he could ve spared us the likes of maria in it… but we should salute the good work and good idea. cheers
April 16th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Lina, if this is the best clip you have seen coming out of an “Arabic”" singer… then i salute your exquisite taste..
art direction and production value aside, this is beyond lame…
please check REAL clips
http://vimeo.com/3203463
I apologize if no G strings were used in the making of Rima Khcheich’s clip.
April 17th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
too commercial , too cheesy !
but it’s normal to have this kind of video clip from him , he’s just reflecting his concept of life through this one ..
as Nabz said ” The word “funk”, defined as body odor or the smell of sexual intercourse !!!
p.s. Miss Hala is there any issues IF part of our society follows and belongs to Hezbollah ?!!
April 17th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Thank you Hala,
April 17th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Well Dave, please do not jump to conclusions. I did not say at all that there are issues with part of our society following and belonging to Hezbollah - I am just pointing out the variations in our culture from one extreme to the other and that Jad decided to represent ALL Arabs with his song - Big Statement!
April 17th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
April 21st, 2009 at 11:57 pm
i really like that song… it s growing on me and the video is so damn hot…
stop over analysing the guy is not saying all arabs are like that… just some of them that he chose to portray. i didn t know the guy before that song but i utubed him and he sounds like someone who s got some cool ideas. calm down people it s just a pop song and the proof of it working so well is all the hype around it he he. go jad!!!
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
LOVE IT IT S GREAT. U R RIGHT PATRICK NO NEED TO OVER ANALYSE IT S REALLY COOL
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Over analyzing?! The guy is saying that we’re a cool culture by speaking in a bad English (or American or whatever) accent.. and showing that we do tattoos, plastic surgery and we’re barely sober!
Hype is proof of one thing: He did something that is so repulsive that it needs to be addressed!
I’m glad he decided to choose some of them and didn’t go on to show the missed-call culture.. the disjoncteurs and the motorbikes zooming around the streets.
Showing a part of a culture is different than showing a corrupt part of a culture. If this is the best symbol to show that we’re not suicide bomBers (and I stress on the second B) then we really have a social problem that goes beyond Jad!
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I am personally not over analysing…
it is simple…
I have to either wear a team Perez tshirt, inject botox, wear a bikini top, act like a moron and have a superficial wannabe rich tattooed Lebanese”dude” as a boyfriend smoking a cigar to be soooo cool… or else am a terrorist (bomBer) ….
apparently, there is no middle ground…
I am doomed to be a successful respected Lebanese career woman… cause Jad and his intense creativity does not represent me as an “Arab”
yeah… this is apparently what is the new “funky” trend… and God, it is indeed a “funky” trend
pity.
PS: do us a favour and read a book … follow real artistic trends… and stop humiliating yourselves and downgrading your image into something that is beyond disrespectful.. the world does not rotate around the vodka bottle that you order in the VIP lounge in Sky bar…. I beg you to travel beyond jemayze and monot
to Jad’s disappointment, LA is a state that has so much more than what he aspires… unfortunately his only guide to “coolness” is perezhilton.com
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:29 pm
take a break guys and specially rasha u are so boring with read a book and whatever i have 2 master degrees and i come from a very educated background but when i wanna listen to music i wanna be entertained!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and guess what I THINK JAD ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i ve been in LA and it s all about fashion celebrities and plastic surgery … guess u r not watchin E! or u ve never been there! salute the effort the guy has done I THINK HE IS GREAT… we wanna have fun and dance not talk politics and literature in a club . THIS IS WHAT SOUNDS SILLY AND SUPERFICIAL . PEOPLE THINKIN WE SHOULD STICK TO A PRUDE ” CULTURAL” ENVIRONEMENT. let me tell u something people who make a big deal of it are generally only pretending to be educated. take a break and enjoy life
April 24th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Maral, I salute you and your 2 masters degrees… your parents must be proud…
It’s a free world… if you enjoy being stereotyped as a dumb Lebanese person cause it entertains you, be my guest.
I, on the other hand, don’t find it appealing at all… There are many Lebanese artists/singers that entertained me …
Jad is definitely not one of them
April 24th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
THIS GUY REALLY HAS GUTS. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!! he s describing some arabs as being open minded and fun!! finally!!! he s smart and edgy except for the accent sometimes although i think it gives him some identity… we do not hear sean paul speaking a perfect american accent! do we? stop being so stuck up and enjoy the show. it rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 24th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
i like the song … as for the video it s true he could ve been less extremist but let s face it guys we re being a bit stuck up the video is a big hit already
April 26th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
while we r wasting our time writing these comments the guy is probably gathering bucks and laughing at us…. cause whether we like it or not the song is being played everywhere at least in lebanon
April 28th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
who s that guy? he seems smart and fun…. so many blogs about that video.. u gotta admit it s occupying u guys specially the haters he he . the least we can say is that he succeeded
May 1st, 2009 at 12:05 am
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
AMAZING VIDEO
LOVE DA SONG
May 10th, 2009 at 11:28 am
@ the pepole who liked the vedio : i think he ment in the vedio “arab women are whores and men lead”
Q have you see a man who is not wearin so much like the girs in the vedio? no u dont, i blame the author who write this post cos she is helping Jad to make more pepole see it.
May 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
He could be gathering bucks and laughing at us
we could even be wasting our time writing about this.
But let’s be honest.
Did we go crazy when Haifa Wihbi went on CNN representing Lebanon?
Some how the general population was happy about that. They felt bcz she is a sex symbol it takes pressure off from being labeled as “arabs” have u heard any lebanese people refer to themselves “Phoenicians” ?
Have you guys been in a club in beirut? Have you?
Take a step back and see where this guy is comin from
He’s probably a coked up guy that’s full fledges in the club scene, probably owns 1 or 2 clubs by now, surrounded by champagne and the arab-euro style party scene. That’s all And again, like haifa and the rest of the whores, he’s just another one of them selling a fake image that is not so fake.
May 24th, 2010 at 4:10 am
I don’t normally reply to posts but I just had to in this instance. Really great post!