Assasi’s Third World Wide Vol. 1 with Angie Assal, Graphic Melee, and Jins Ensemble

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A project of the Sonic Visions fund with support from the Watson family and the Onion Foundation.

The premiere of Biddeford-based, Syrian-born rapper Assasi’s latest project, blending contemporary hip-hop sounds with Golden Age Arab music. Screenings of videos, collaborations with local artists, with live performance and dance.

Assasi is a Syrian hip-hop artist from the ancient city of Aleppo. His music combines Arabic rap with sounds from the Golden Age of Arab music and influences from cultures around the world. After leaving Syria in 2012 due to the civil war, Assasi lived in several countries including Lebanon, India, Nepal, and Malaysia, before arriving in Maine.

Angie Assal is a Lebanese-American dancer/artist born and raised in New York City.  After growing up with a complicated relationship to her being Arab-American, she realized being in diaspora is a valid identity in itself and wanted to further embrace the language, music, and culture of her parents. 

Jins Ensemble performs traditional Arabic and Turkish for various audiences. Based in Scarborough, Maine, the Jins Ensemble members are:
Duncan Hardy – Qanun
Eric LaPerna – Oud
Doug Andrews – Darbouka

Heavy beats, dusty vinyl, and dirty synthesizers are the specialties of emcee, producer, DJ, and community organizer Graphic Melee. The Maine-based hip-hop triple threat is a core member of Monday of the Minds, curator of todayinhiphophistory.com, and a house DJ you’ll find supporting diverse artists all across New England.