Guest Feature: Rosa Jad
In some light and positive news, big shout out to Morocco for being named one of the hosts of the 2030 World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal. I’m personally excited, this is a well-deserved honor for the country.
And I hope they win it all.
Okay friends, let’s get right into it. I am so excited to introduce this week’s guest feature: Rosa Jad!
Born in the Middle East and immigrating to the United States in 2000, and starting a radio career in one of America's top media markets at just the young age of 17, being a pioneer is in Rosa's nature.
As well as dominating the airwaves and ratings for 10 years on multiple top heritage stations, she’s also the Founder & CEO of RoRos Global Enterprises Inc., a new media content development and distribution company. The company's mission is to connect global communities and nurture positive safe spaces through original content, entertainment, and education, specifically catering to underrepresented women in Arab cultures around the world.
I highly recommend everyone go follow Rosa on Instagram right now and go follow her show, The Rotation Show, immediately. She has interviewed some heavy hitters in music, including Nigerian superstar Rema, soulful artist BLK ODYSSY, and rapper Kaash Paige. What Rosa does is incredibly special, and you know she came through with some amazing song selections:
1. What song do you have on repeat right now?
“Any Given Sunday” - Kehlani featuring Blxst
R&B is my favorite music genre - Every day I must get my daily dose, and Kehlani has been one of my favorites forever. Lately the attitude to “Any Given Sunday” has been on repeat because she just talks her talk and reminds us how to be the smoothest, most confident girl in every room.
2. Tell me a song that makes you cry.
It's one of the first times I’ve felt an artist reading the state of the world, understanding the assignment and authenitcly nailing it. The song exudes peace and love spoken in the most beautiful language. He’s “Mr. Money With The Vibe Right Now”, the persona, the class, the mission AND the vision – Peace Be Upon You ( السلام عليكم) - says it all.
3. What song reminds you of your childhood?
First thought that comes to mind - I remember when that song comes on it's the peak of whatever event, gathering, activity you’re at.
4. Name a song you sing in the shower or in the car.
When I tell you this is my SONG. PS - On Repeat in both scenarios too, I can easily have this on 20-30 times in a row.
5. Tell me a song everyone should listen to.
“Jumpin Jumpin” – Destinys Child
Need I say more?
Big shout out to Rosa for joining and sharing her song selections! All of Rosa’s songs will be included in this week’s playlist, so be sure to take a listen. Be sure to follow Rosa on Instagram and follow The Rotation Show on Instagram as well. And stay tuned because Rosa has big things planned!
What I’m Listening To
Full Playlist
Click/tap here for Spotify
Click/tap here for Anghami (*some songs in the playlist are not available on Anghami)
🎧 Middle Eastern, North African, & Diaspora Flows 🎧
Ephemeral - Bu Nasser Touffar featuring Maisan Hamdan, AL Cobra, Nour Yamm, OD Overdose, Jamul, Nuj, Ebaa Monther, and Subbar
Silent - Skorap
MANAM - Fulan
25 - Nurzy
Fekrak Betnawar - Ma-Beyn featuring HADY MOAMER
Haaland - Dzel Uzi
Rouge - Dana Salah
Ghyab (Acoustic) - Dania
Hibou - Raste featuring Furelise
Al Hoceima - Riffi
Logha - Tageel featuring Swish
Under The Knife - Tamara Qaddoumi
ARRB - Double Zuksh
Warda - Nej
Mwaa/Simm - UmKuBu & Ra
3 Shoroot - Kokym
It’s You - RealestK featuring BIA
Mama - Inkonnu
Saber - Dana Hourani
False Perspectives - Dounia
🎤 Latinx & Hispanic Vibes 🎤
Tania - Ana Tijoux
Sandunguea - Niña Diaz featuring Adán Cruz
Solo Tú - La Mau
RITMO DE MEDALLO - Feid featuring Ryan Castro
Te Llenaste - El Alfa featuring Yomel El Meloso and El Fother
Arepa - MJ Neared featuring Ms Nina and INVT
Pensas De Antaño - Bizarrap & Milo j
INSTALÁRTELO - Yng Lvcas featuring El Bogueto, Yeyo, Sleezy O, and Young Gallo
bubble gum - Nicole Zignago
UN PUÑO DE TIERRA - Becky G
🎼 Other Good Music 🎼
8am in Charlotte - Drake
Mac Deuce - Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist
BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR - ODUMODUBLVCK featuring Wale and Bloody Civilian
Hide And Seek - 163Margs featuring Digga D
Out Of Luck - Tkay Maidza featuring Lolo Zouaï and Amber Mark
Lalala - Sam Deep featuring Sino Msolo
3D - Jung Kook featuring Jack Harlow
Big Candy - iCandy featuring Flo Mili
Me & U - Tems
Komiyo - Niniola
What I’m Reading
🇱🇧 Lebanon 🇱🇧
‘It’s cool to have money again’: wealthy Lebanese party out the crisis - Raya Jalabi, Financial Times
High-end hospitality bounces back from country’s economic crash.
‘Money gets moldy’: How are people stashing their cash after losing trust in Lebanese banks? - Malek Jadah, L’Orient Today
From gold to crypto, we ask Lebanese citizens how they’ve changed their saving habits since 2019.
State power, fragile masculinities and queerness in Lebanon - Hussein Cheaito, The New Arab
To understand the wave of violent attacks on Lebanon's LGBTQ+ community, we must look at how deeply embedded patriarchy is in the state and society, and the threat queerness presents to the country's political system, writes Hussein Cheaito.
Bioconnect, the initiative bridging Lebanon’s nature reserves - Suzanne Baaklini, L’Orient Today
Led by Al-Shouf Cedar Society, the project aims to strengthen the management of protected sites in the south.
Armenians who fled Turkish rule decades ago despair over Nagorno-Karabakh. ‘This appears to be our fate’ - Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times
In 1939, Armenians of Musa Dagh fled to Lebanon rather than submit to Turkish rule. Now they despair over the exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
🌍 Middle East, North Africa, & Diaspora 🌎
Giving Syrian students another shot at education in the northwest - Ali Haj Suleiman, Al Jazeera
Omar al-Dabaan lost his classmates as well as his school to regime bombs, but now he has another chance to pursue his dream.
In Libya's devastated Derna, families still search for the missing - Ayman Al-Warfali, Reuters
Three weeks after the flashflood killed thousands of people, many survivors have yet to find their loved ones, even as Libya's rival factions squabble over who to blame for the disaster and how to rebuild the ruined city.
Tracking women’s mental health amid trauma in Yemen - Shihab Jamal, Nature
Psychologist Anjila Sultan returned to the city where she grew up, after witnessing the effects of war and cultural pressures on mothers and children.
AI: Voice cloning tech emerges in Sudan civil war - Jack Goodman and Mohanad Hashim, BBC News
A campaign using artificial intelligence to impersonate Omar al-Bashir, the former leader of Sudan, has received hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, adding online confusion to a country torn apart by war.
Iraq-Kuwait tensions on the rise once more: Navigating troubled waters - Mohannad Fares, Raseef22
Khawr Abd Allah had long been a point of contention between Iraq and Kuwait, particularly after Kuwait initiated the construction of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, which occupies a significant portion of the waterway.
🎶 Music, Arts, & Culture 🎶
Nooriyah On What Makes SWANA Music So Infectious - Alya Mooro, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia
The DJ and radio host shares why reconditioning people’s ears to different musical genres is critical and how Jay-Z’s Big Pimpin’ helps serve as an auditory education.
Meet the crew who introduced skateboarding to Palestine - Isaac Muk, Huck
Celebrating the ten year anniversary of SkatePal, whose skatepark builds and free skate lessons have helped nourish an emerging skateboarding scene in the West Bank.
Peso Pluma Had a Monster Year in 2023. Here’s What He Hopes Is Next - Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone
The breakout star of música Mexicana talks about filling stadiums, representing Mexico, and dreaming about the Grammys.
How a Chain-Snatching and a Vegas Beatdown Led to Tupac’s Murder - Joe Coscarelli, Julia Jacobs, Jonathan Abrams and Jill Cowan, The New York Times
Grand jury witness testimony describes how hyperlocal clashes between warring gang factions spilled into a fatal dispute that would alter the course of hip-hop history.
How Rural Music in the Middle East Bypassed Cultural Gatekeepers Using Tech and Weddings - Hassan Hassan, New Lines Magazine
In recent years, the historical marginalization of this genre has been steadily dismantled by innovation and socioeconomic dynamics.
📚 Other Reads 📚
Florida and Kentucky are losing educators to extreme anti-LGBTQ+ laws - Orion Rummler, The 19th
Strict policies and education laws enacted this year have caused teachers to leave their profession behind — or in some cases, their state.
Los Angeles is using AI to predict who might become homeless and help before they do - Jennifer Ludden, NPR
L.A. is housing more people than ever, but an even greater number keep falling into homelessness. This first-of-its-kind prevention program calculates who seems most at risk for landing on the street.
Worries about debt are part of my inheritance - Justin Tinsley, Andscape
The return of student loan payments highlights a system that feels designed to break us.
Kwame Onwuachi’s Cuisine of the Self - Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker
How the chef at Tatiana brought Afro-Caribbean cooking—and his life story—to the center of New York City’s fine-dining scene.
How a DC Chef Helped Develop McDonald’s New Mambo Sauce - Jessica Sidman, The Washingtonian
Former Smithsonian chef Jerome Grant is on the fast food chain's culinary council.