Guest Feature: Tarek El Mendelek

It’s been an especially difficult week for Palestinians, to say the least. I won’t share the videos directly here, but images of Israeli forces beating up and throwing worshippers out of Al Aqsa felt violating. No person should ever feel unsafe in their religious space.

And yesterday, Israeli military expanded to launching rockets on southern Lebanon, in what many in the media have called the worst escalation since the 2006 war.

This has become par for the course for an occupation and an apartheid state continuing to try to rid the world of the existence of an entire people.

My frustrations and anger are with Palestinians this week, and my anxieties and fears are with the Lebanese. Processing many emotions as news comes in, particularly for Lebanon. My heart is with anyone reading who is directly impacted by what’s happening.

And for those of you observing Ramadan, Passover, or Easter, please keep Palestine and Lebanon in your prayers—always do this, but especially this week.

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Thank you, friends. Joy is also an act of resistance, so let’s get right into it. I am so excited to introduce this week’s guest feature: Tarek El Mendelek!

Tarek is a Label & Artist Partnerships Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at TikTok.

Enough said, right?

A fellow music nerd, Tarek has such an infectious personality and always looks to celebrate and champion artists’ creativity. There isn’t a day that goes by where he doesn’t post something on Instagram hyping up musicians. So when I asked him to share some of his go-to songs for this week, I knew he wouldn’t disappoint!

1. What is your favorite song right now?

Ooof! I was just listening to it—“Pray It Away” by Chlöe bro, that shit is nuts! NUTS. I don’t know if you’ve listened to it, but it’s crazy. And Lana Lubany’s new song too, “POINT OF NO RETURN”—that’s like a James Bond song there.

2. What’s your go-to song for all your feels?

There are so many! I feel like anything SZA really gets me in my feels—her last album was crazy. I think “Nobody Gets Me” really gets you thinking.

3. Name a song that reminds you of home.

“To Build A Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra. That shit gets me. That song actually gets me in my feels too but it also reminds me of home. It’s the type of song that, when it’s in my head I remember really good times when I’m back in Lebanon—whether it’s the lyrics or the music or the instrumentals of it, it just hits a spot in my brain. Every time I’m homesick I just listen to that. I smile, I cry, it really depends on what I’m feeling at the time.

4. Name a song you know all the words to.

There’s a lot of those! Anything by Ariana Grande really, that’s my girl. “The Way” by her and Mac Miller I could just instantly get into. She’s so versatile as a musician.

5. Name a song that gets you really hype and ready to go.

“Did It On ‘Em” by Nicki Minaj. It hits the spot.

Big shout out to Tarek for joining and sharing his song selections! All of Tarek’s songs will be included in this week’s playlist, so be sure to take a listen. Be sure to follow Tarek on Instagram to keep up with all of his happenings!

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What I’m Listening To

Full Playlist

🎧 Middle Eastern, North African, & Diaspora Flows 🎧

• El 2elem - Creamyy

• Ya Saket - Hawa Dafi

• Habibatoh - Yosr

• M.P.S. - Raja Meziane

• Kheit El Sabah - Bedouin Burger

• Qannas - Omar Tesla featuring Khaledplz

• Unequal - Diib

• Sabry - Omar Escobar

• Garden - Ghita

• MON LOVE OHO - Liamsi

• Bas7a - El Ärkitekt

• 7amdellah 3asalemeh - 3enba

• Log Out - Soulja

• Kima Khalitni - Samara

• Kalamanji - The Synaptik

• Ana Tayeh - Doaa El Sabaii featuring Wiwii

• Fi Zeroof Tanya - Nouran AbuTaleb

• Ya Leil Ya Ein - Dalia

• Doushash - Sara Al Zakaria

• SOMNABULIST - Thanks Joey & Niko Is featuring Narcy

🎤 Latinx & Hispanic Vibes 🎤

• Te Hago El Amor - Zion y Lennox

• Classy 101 - Feid featuring Young Miko

• Peligrosa - Mariah Angeliq

• Corazón Roto (Remix) - Brray featuring JhayCo and Ryan Castro

• Bendita - Las Villa featuring Llane

• Guillaera - Ivy Queen featuring Gran Omar

• Verte de Nuevo - Manuel Turizo

• VAMPIROS - ROSALÍA & Rauw Alejandro

• MENEITO - Rosaly Rubio

• Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor) - Pitbull featuring T-Pain

🎼 Other Good Music 🎼

• Search & Rescue - Drake

• Unstoppable - Daniel Caesar

• Kushubile 2.0 - Smangori featuring Niniola and Vista

• Secrets - Amaria

• Make It Look Easy - Chlöe

• 4EVA - KAYTRAMINÉ (KAYTRANADA & Aminé) featuring Pharrell

• Duffel Bag - Joeboy

• Bruce Lee - Trillary Banks

• Be Somebody - Emotional Oranges featuring Tkay Maidza

• Fallin’ - Joey Bada$$

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What I’m Reading

🇱🇧 Lebanon 🇱🇧

• Lebanon at increased wildfire risk with Earth’s second-warmest March on record - Madeline Edwards, L’Orient Today

  The risk of wildfires in high-elevation forests — including Lebanon’s iconic cedars — has risen steadily in recent years, experts say.

• “Pupils memorize because they can't read”: Lebanon's deteriorating public education - Fouad Bou Ghader, Raseef22

  "During the quarantine and lockdown period, online education wasn't effective at all. My son memorizes reading lessons in both the English and Arabic languages, because he is unable to distinguish between the letters of the alphabet"

• Meet the group aiming to ensure no child is left behind in Tripoli this Ramadan - Nada Maucourant Atallah, The National

  Volunteers look to empower underprivileged children through storytelling and education.

• Odes from the frontiers of sound - Jim Quilty, L’Orient Today

  Irtijal festival’s Sharif Sehnaoui reflects on experimenting with music and musical partnerships.

• The Lebanese jewellers finding inspiration amid crisis - Vivienne Becker, Financial Times

  A diaspora of makers are forging dazzling new paths.

🌍 Middle East, North Africa, & Diaspora 🌎

• UAE climate event organisers warn speakers not to ‘criticise corporations’ - Aime Williams and Attracta Mooney, Financial Times

  Climate campaigners alarmed by ‘do not protest’ warning as Gulf petrostate prepares to host COP28.

• An Activist’s Flight Reveals Widening Repression in Algeria - Constant Méheut, The New York Times

  Four years after a popular uprising fueled hopes for change and real democracy, the country’s government is using vaguely defined statutes to round up hundreds.

• Tunisia’s ‘hostile environment’ pushes migrants across Mediterranean - Heba Saleh and Amy Kazmin, Financial Times

  Racism and economic crisis fuel surge in attempts to reach Europe by boat, alarming the EU.

• How aid gaps are leaving Yemen’s displaced to fend for themselves - Mohamed Ghazi, The New Humanitarian

  ‘The war stranded us in the desert, and we have been forgotten about by everyone, both here and abroad.’

• Syria’s state capture: the rising influence of Mrs. Assad - Raya Jalabi, Financial Times

  The first lady now has a leading role in a regime that is plundering the wealth of its people.

🎶 Music, Arts, & Culture 🎶

• Reggaeton has a color blindness problem - Shaadi Devereux, Los Angeles Times

  “The TIME interview with Bad Bunny marks a larger trend of artists across the Americas seeming very shy and frightened to talk about racism, often seeming altogether tired of the conversation. It marks a trend of artists who simply don’t want to do the work, make concrete action to equity and share the capital gains of industry.”

• In K-Pop’s Quest for Global Growth, Korean Fans Feel Cast Aside - John Yoon, The New York Times

  A bidding war for a K-pop label — a deal with global ramifications for the genre — has left listeners in its home market questioning their relevance.

• The legacy of Umm Kulthum: Egypt's 'star of the east' continues to shine even decades after her death - Lylla Younes, The New Arab

  The queen of Egyptian music and an undisputed Arab icon, Umm Kulthum's voice continues to echo throughout the region's coffee shops, concert halls and living rooms. Recently voted as one of the world's greatest singers, we take stock of her legacy.

• Culture as Resistance: 6 Palestinian DJs You Need to Know - Alice Austin, Mixmag

  Six pioneering Palestinian artists share their musical journeys, the challenges they face every day and the differing ways they use culture as a form of resistance.

• Young Libyans finally able to answer call of e-gaming - Aziz El Massassi, Agence France-Presse

  Libyans have shown "high demand" for places where they can finally play together and take part in tournaments.

📚 Other Reads 📚

• ‘Hot Ones’ Was a Slow Burn All Along - Maya Salam, The New York Times

  This YouTube talk show’s premise is simple: Disarm celebrities with deep-cut questions and scorchingly spicy wings. Nearly 300 episodes later, the recipe still works.

• Paris Is Overflowing With Trash—and With Rage at Macron - Cécile Alduy, The Nation

  The massive accumulation of trash in France’s capital is one of the most visible—and smelly—signs of the opposition to Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

• Meet the 18-Year-Old Who Wants to Be Disney’s Next CEO - Robbie Whelan, The Wall Street Journal

  Cori Borgstadt started attending Disney shareholder meetings in 2008 and has asked Iger: What advice would you give to ‘a kid who wants your job’?

• ICE Is Grabbing Data From Schools and Abortion Clinics - Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED

  An agency database WIRED obtained reveals widespread use of so-called 1509 summonses that experts say raises the specter of potential abuse.

• LeBron James opened a Starbucks, but it's providing much more than coffee - Joe Vardon, The Athletic

  The 46 people who work there are being paid an hourly salary, but on top of the money are earning valuable training toward a larger goal.