It surprises me and sometimes saddens me of how harsh and unforgiving we can sometimes be on our Arabic and Middle-Eastern music superstars!

I have read so many articles of people criticizing the superstar Amr Diab for inspiring from Latin and Spanish music, Tamer Hosney for inspiring from Urban music / Hip Hop and Elisa for inspiring from Dance and Funky House music… which I generally find a huge over-reaction!

This does not give any of these stars the authority or the license to directly re-play a famous western tune and put a new song on it without acknowledging the real source….this is STEALING and I’m 100% against that. I do not however see a problem with inspiration from different genres to create a new sound.

The one question that we need to address though is why is only OUR stars that we keep under close observation and criticize? We not look at the other side too?

In this series, I’m gonna playfully expose a number of famous western songs, that shamelessly sampled our music to the level that it should NOT be hidden!

…and the first in the list, is quite clear believe me!!!

Jay-Z “ Big Pimpin’ ” - Produced By Timbaland

So it was well over 10 years ago when I happily walked into HMV ready to pick up my CD of Jay’s amazing Album, “Volume 3: The Life and Times of S Carter”. I got home and started listening to the album eagerly…and when I got to track 11 I almost did a back flip out of shock! Everyone around me was hearing a big tune but I was hearing a clear sample of the late Egyptian Super Star Abdel Haleem Hafez’s song Khosara Khosara! But what annoyed me the most is that there was no acknowledgment of him in the credits what so ever….and while people thought the Timbaland delivered a genius of a record by composing this amazing easter melody, I was mad about the fact that the melody is from my country and is more than 45 years old back then!

Word has it that it was not until 7 years after the record’s release that the real artist was acknowledged! But for you who didn’t know….take a look below!!!!

Here’s Jay-Z’s version - “ Big Pimpin’ ”…

and here’s Abdel Haleem Hafez’s original from his movie “ Fatah Ahlami ”…



Next week I will expose another Timbaland-produced record…Can you guess which one?