ID hiphop track with Arab strings

Please ID: Heard this hiphop track in a bar recently and liked it. There is a riff made by some kind of middle eastern stringed instrument, which is in the background to rap by a black american voice.

I wouldnt be surprised if the track is on the soundtrack to an Iraq war movie, and is probably the most well known hip hop track that uses a MidEast string instrument.

Should be an easy ID for hiphop officionados.

Depends.
Those "Arab strings" sometimes turned out to actually be samples from Bollywood (Hindi / Punjabi) music usually featured in these kinds of movies.

Thanks very much for letting me know.

So please can you name the most famous hiphop tracks with these strings used..

I should add my hunch is that the track is by a top 10 or top 20 mainstream US hiphop artist, who uses the MidEast\South Asian strings sample on this one track alone.

Originally Posted by tyoi

Thanks very much for letting me know.

Hm, my "ironic!" light is flashing dimly

Seriously: in fact, I wanted to point out that we from "teh West" would usually measure everything with the same yardstick if it comes to "oriental" music.

I also thought it was not a bad idea to point this out since on another forum where I'm registered, you can predefine a category. Don't go asking me how many people have come there and looked for something "arabic" which in fact turned out to be Hindi.
It's difficult for "us Westerners" to distinguish these - that's just what I've been experiencing.

There wasnt any irony there, I was genuinely grateful.

FWIW I have British Muslims in my family, and have visited both the Middle East and Central Asia.


I am still waiting for a few track titles to get the ball rolling.

No probs, though I can only give you one: Thief-A-Land Z. Mosley.
Been quite a riot within the Arab world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpisW9gwbqo

Shani feat. V-Style - Get Somebody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am2ci...ext=1&index=28

jp12345,

Thanks, getting warmer, but the track I am looking for is purely with a male rapper (black I think) and no singing. Its strings riff could well have been sampled \ stolen.

Jay-z ft punjab mc - indian knite rider?

I am going through samples of middle eastern instruments to try to find what instrument the riff was made by. It sounded pretty similar to this Iranian (ie not Arabic) instrument http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMFEz...eature=related but in the track I am looking for it is scratchier and has more echo, possibly distorted through a public megaphone like a muezzin uses

anyway - it makes an awesome contrast with the voice of the rapper - who is, I think, a Black American mainstream artist

Busta Rhymes - Arab Money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UngoL91u654

?

Aamir,

Thanks but the track has no singing - and it has real strings rather than synth.

anyone out there consider themselves a hiphop expert?

ok then - can anyone recommend a dedicated hiphop forum if I cant find help here?

anybody?

Try Busta Rhymes-arab money