Omar Hammami’s Rap Songs Aren’t So “Jihadi Cool”

Alabama native Omar Hammami, famous for his rap songs on behalf of Al Shabaab, released two new rap songs over the weekend. The first, in a clear effort to deride recent reports of his death, he prays for a drone attack or a cruise missile to kill him, rapping: “An amazing martyrdom I strive for and adore.” It is very typical of a terrorist to release a video or audio recording soon after the media reports that he may be dead, proving he is still alive. Hammami follows suit, even mocking the media reports further by rapping: 

There’s nothing as sweet as the taste of a tank shell

But it could be compared to being where the mortar fell

But all that could be seen as tasteless

Compared to smart bombs falling when they don’t miss

It was a beautiful day, when that predator paradise missile sent me on my way

A one way ticket with no stops or delays, no problems in the grave nor fear on that day

Or better yet send me a cruise, and send me on a cruise

Family rejoices at the news and follows me in what I do

In the second rap song, titled “Make Jihad with me,” Hammami dedicates the rap to the “Muslim youth in the West who are finding their way back to their glorious roots.” Here is the chorus:

Make Jihad with me

Allahu Akbar give me some more bounty

Attack America Now

Martyrdom or victory

We takin’ Nairobi to Addis

Paradise insight

My Muslim brother bring your money and your life

Khalifah is here

We breakin’ down Gitmo

We Wipin’ Israel clear off the globe

Despite the straightforward and unwavering lyrics, while rapping these songs Hammami sounds unconvinced. Stumbling over some of the lyrics, and clearly uncomfortable with his rapping skills, these songs are just not so “jihadi cool.” Telling of these unimpressionable rap songs is the lack of reaction to them in the forums and on social networking sites. Can you imagine the impact a similar release would make in the forums if it was from say, Anwar al-Awlaki, instead of Omar Hammami??  

As an experiment, I searched posts on Facebook today for “Hammami,” and not one person has shared either of his rap songs yet. In a search for “Awlaki,” twelve different people have linked to Awlaki videos since yesterday. Remember, Awlaki hasn’t come out with a new lecture since February. 

The differences between Awlaki and Hammami are substantial, and Hammami makes many of them clear in his rap songs. To name a few: Hammami has no religious legitimacy, he is considerably less confident when he speaks/raps, he is trying too hard to be “cool,” and he did not first gain a following in the West before moving abroad and attempting to recruit others to jihad. In other words, when comparing Awlaki to Hammami in a case study, Awlaki’s path to fame worked, while Hammami’s is miserably failing.