Speedcubers - The Famous Rubik's Cube

Over the summer, I went to Jordan for a family reunion. While I was there, I encountered a group of young teenage boys who dedicate several hours of their week simply to learning how to master the Rubik’s cube puzzle. The community of speedcubers is very small Jordan, however their size has not prevented them from meeting, competing and developing their skills. The young boys (no girls were a part of this group) meet every other week to compete and try to beat their previous records. They all have a collection of cubes that they have chosen to practice with. They have learned the technique behind solving the puzzle through YouTube videos posted by competitors around the world. They all carry their favorite cubes with them at all times so that they can practice regardless of where they are.

The Rubik’s cube is considered to be the world’s best selling toy, with over 350 million cubes sold worldwide since its invention in 1974. Although the Rubik’s cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980’s, there are many competitors who still enjoy competing in solving the puzzle in the quickest timing. Out of the small group of speedcubers I met in Jordan, one of them turned out to be the FIRST PLACE SPEEDCUBER in the MENA region, according to the WORLD CUBE ASSOSIATION.

This community might be small in Jordan, and other Arab countries, however, through globalization and the availability of the Internet, they are able to communicate and compete with people across the globe. They share common terms and have a special “language” in which they discuss the timing, type and size of the Rubik’s cube. For example, “16.21 12.66 15.68 11.34 12.52. Average: 13.62 NR Cube used: Zhanchi” Although they are opposing the larger culture, they are considered a “deviant” or “variant” subculture. To have the dedication and time to study and master the technique is difficult, and only some have done it. All speedcubers seemed to have a polished sense of style – nothing very distinct, but they do look very put together and uniform.
The video below is of one of the contestants being timed by the association in his house in Jordan:

Corporations saw the popularity of this cube as an opportunity to create different accessories or items that are in the shape of the Rubik’s cube. The images below are only some of what is available. Also, they have created cubes in different shapes and sizes. Some cubes are now collectables. The mass production of these products goes back to the concept of capitalism – making a subculture mainstream!

Homology is when the structure of any particular subculture is characterized by an extreme orderliness. This evident in the way that these competitors meet and compete. They have strict rules as to how the Rubik’s cube needs to be shuffled, rules on how to time it and standardized scores to compare against.

Although some cultures are formed through "Bricolage" - where the artists make-do with what they have, this subculture was formed through consumerism and the Internet. However, being loyal to this puzzle and setting up regularities and  community around it has defined those who participate as a part of a  subculture.

One can argue that this subculture is a "Spectacular Subculture" because it is out of the ordinary and certainly amazing. When you want someone solve a puzzle that is very difficult in a matter of seconds it is very surprising!

The community of players escalated the level of challenge of the competitions by having under-water, in-air competitions etc. This has allowed them to grow the puzzle and have more records to beat.

L.O.T local Arab rap artists – Hip Hop in Doha a Musical Subculture

Subculture is defined as a smaller group that is distinct from the larger culture in values, beliefs, symbols, and or the activities. In other word it’s a world within a world. I decided for this blog post to interview uprising rap artists here in Doha. They are composed of four rappers, Yousif Amr Khalil and Ammar Abouelghar from Egypt and El Mahi Hajo and Tayeb Hajo from Sudan. Together they call themselves L.O.T.

The questions I asked L.O.T ranged from; when did you start rapping and listening to rap? To what does L.O.T stand for and what exactly are you aspiring to fulfill through your artistry?

These local artists started rapping during their teenage years, starting from the age of 14 to 18 years old.  They first listened to rappers such as, Eminem, 50 Cent, Biggie, Immortal Technique and many more.

Picture taken during a recording session by them.

Rap in the Middle East first started as a form of frustration reliever, in other words the first rappers started rapping about important topics related to politics or their own personal life situation (ex: DAM Palestinian rappers). It was interesting to find out that some of the L.O.T group members first started rapping for the fun of it; they would typically write whatever could sound good and “sick.” Whereas other members started writing rap in order to relief their frustration about the depression in Sudan. Eventually as time passed by, and as their writing and rapping skills improved, today they can write both serious related verses and verses that are simply for entertainment, they even use it as a form of “storytelling.”

Throughout the interview, I thought to myself, these guys want to differentiate themselves from the original Hip Hop artist, so why is it that they rap in English and not in Arabic like the Palestinian rappers?

Rap music and Hip Hop first started in New York in English, so these artists learned about rap and therefore, learned to rap in English. In addition these young artists dream to reach an international audience, since English is the International language, they aim to inspire people to want talk about something real, inspire them to want to write rap verses, and of course to show the world that talent does reside in the Middle East, and especially in this thumb formed oasis that is Qatar. They want to be known as Arab/African Rappers that can rap in English. 

Yousif Khalil and Omar Offendum. Notice the hand gesture.

Youth subcultures are often based around style and music. Indeed, in sociology, style includes not only fashion, but also speech and mannerisms, which itself includes body language and gestures. What I basically adopted for this interview is the Chicago School method of the study of subcultures, which includes observing, talking, and hanging out with L.O.T, which enabled me to observe and discover their social patterns. What I find interesting is that they would usually get together almost every night, play some beats they found on the Internet or composed themselves, and then freestyle their way through it, or showcase to each other the different verses they wrote. The Chicago school believes that subcultures are best understood when observed in the context of their economic conditions. Indeed, these young rappers convene in different locations, which range from the Student Center in Education City, to a private Majlis to even the Pearl.  In the film Slingshot Hip Hop I noticed that the Palestinian artists would write their verses not only in Arabic but also on a notepad that contains all their lyrics. In the case of L.O.T I noticed that they write and save their verses on their Blackberry mobile phones, so that it is always on them incase they need it. This is living proof that subcultures truly adapt to their environment and work with what they have. Another thing I noticed when they rap, is the hand gestures. They are definitely gestures people can associate to Hip Hop artists from around the world.

L.O.T in the studio. Notice their hand gestures here as well. 

I also asked these young rappers if they believed that Hip Hop grew on such an International level that it should be considered as a musical culture instead of just a subculture? They all in fact agreed, and believe that Hip Hop became a “hybrid” a “mix of all genres, since artists can rap on almost any beat” ranging from Rock N’ Roll to Soul Jazz beats. El Mahi even stated that Hip Hop is a “perfect balance of Music.” In “Hip Hop – “Doing” Gender and Race in Subcultures” by Ross Haenfler, he writes that “Hip Hop is a culture, not simply a musical form, and an underground subculture has grown steadily alongside hip hop’s mainstream popularity.” I agree with what he says, in the sense that Hip Hop has indeed evolved to a culture, but contains different subcultures that are scattered all around the world, whether it’s in Palestine with the Arab rappers, or it’s in Doha where L.O.T exists. I came to the conlusion that L.O.T is a world within the world of Hip Hop, its is in fact one of Qatar’s Hip Hop subcultures.

I finally asked the rappers what L.O.T stood for, and they have graciously accepted to send me a short paragraph written by El Mahi.

L.O.T Logo.

“No matter what beliefs you follow, we all originated from the garden of Eden. Whether your roots may flow through the Nile, climbed the heights of the Himalayas, or even wonder yonder upon the hidden valleys. With that being said, now you’ll be able to relate to and understand the meaning of L.O.T, which stands for “leaf of trust” and “loyalty, opportunity, talented”. We are a leaf amongst a whole tree, which symbolizes humanity. Our leaf consists of the people who we trust the most and who share the same drive and passion for multimedia. Keeping a closed circle is the foundation of what we stand for but at the same time we branch out music, videos, etc… To connect to society” El Mahi Hajo (Stage name: Mahi Mahi.)

These young artists are willing to spread their artistry and help out other local Middle Eastern talent blossom. They wish to “break the barriers” through the company they are creating called Blue Lime Productions. “We want to voice our stories, as the Middle East is a hot spot."

Check out their website some of their songs play when you open the window. (Warning: their might be some curse words in their songs, so listen if you don't mind them.)

Tune in for the Launch on November 1st 2012.

Check them out everyone, they really are worth keeping an eye on. They sick yo!

Cheap Short Film Causes Chaos

A few days ago, a short film was released on the Internet and as a result my twitter homepage has been flooded with tweets about it. There are many active twitter users in the Arab world, so it is not a surprise that the video spread as fast as it did. The Arab youth are becoming increasingly aware about the events happening in the Middle East. The various forms of media help facilitate their ability to receive and send out their opinion.

Following the release of this YouTube video, there were furious protests occurring at the US embassy in Egypt and Libya. The youth subculture makes up more than half of the entire Arab population (Pre-publication ARAB ENTERTAINMENT SATTELLITE TELEVISION, page 14). Most of them have a voice and are not afraid to use it. Journalists are reporting on the issue in Australia, England and other parts of the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sQPRtS2h7k&feature=share In this short film, the filmmakers are mocking Islam and the Prophet, Mohammed sala allah 3alyhi wa salam, and the Islamic culture. Middle-easterners are stereotyped as having dark skin, as the actors in the film are heavily sprayed with fake tans and make-up. They bring up controversial topics related to Muslims and Christians, portraying Muslims as being beastly and ignorant. The also address sacred Muslim sayings in a mocking sarcastic tone.

From a sociological perspective, extreme ethnocentric thoughts are used to portray Arabs in this film. They mock the cultures and beliefs of Muslims because they are different than their own and they fail to understand them. They use material culture, such as the jalabiya/bisht and the dishadasha that is worn by the Muslim men in the film. Additionally, most of the men in the film have a long beard, which is often seen as a symbol of Islam.

Videos put on YouTube can be seen by everyone in the world. When a film like this is put up on the Internet, people might watch it and get an incorrect image of Muslims and their values and norms. This stereotypical image of Islam could be a result of socially constructed films, articles, and various types of media that socialize people into thinking in a specific way.