The popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia have made a deep impression on the rest of the world. Social media had a starring role in these revolutions, but music played its part too.

Artists like rappers El General and Psycho-M and singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi of Tunisia, as well as Egyptian emcees The Arabian Knightz have served as inspirations to their own people and as touchstones for those watching from outside.

Now five North American artists, including Syrian-American rapper Omar Offendum and Iraqi-Canadian emcee The Narcicyst, have responded to the events in Egypt with an incendiary single called “#Jan25.” The downtempo, bottom-heavy track was produced by Palestinian-American composer Sami Matar, and brings together the talents of Def Jam Poet Amir Sulaiman, American rapper Freeway, and Palestinian-Canadian R&B singer Ayah, in addition to Offendum and The Narcicyst.

It starts with the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” After that, the lyrics come fast and hard, linking the struggle of the Egyptian people with the struggles of the hungry and the oppressed everywhere on Earth. It’s the kind of hip hop that can give you chills and make you bob your head with tears in your eyes. Seeing the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt unfold has galvanized these artists.

The song title refers to the day the demonstrations started in Egypt and also to the Twitter hashtag that became a trending topic. The video for the song uses sometimes graphic Al Jazeera footage from the demonstrations, and it may become an Internet phenomenon in its own right.

Stream or download “#Jan25″ at OkayAfrica.

Photo: okayafrica.com