MC Abdul
Birth nameAbdel Rahman Al-Shantti
AliasMCA Abdul
Birth date14 September 2008 (age 17)
Birth placeGaza, Palestine
GenreHip-hop
InstrumentVocal
Years active2020–present
WebsiteYoutube channel

Abdel-Rahman Al-Shantti (Arabic: عبد الرحمن الشنطي; born September 14, 2008) known professionally as MC Abdul or MCA Abdul is a Palestinian rapper from Gaza, Palestine.[1][2] He gained popularity when he sang a rap about freedom in front of his school in Gaza which garnered hundreds of thousands of views on social media.[3][4][5] As of July 2025, his videos for "Shouting At The Wall" and "Palestine" have received more than 3 million views[6] and 1.8 million views,[7] respectively, on YouTube.

Early life

Abdel-Rahman Al-Shantti was born in Gaza, Palestine. His mother had surgery to treat CNV bleeding in Egypt around 2007, but Al-Shantti said his mother was not able to maintain the surgery due to the blockade of Gaza by Israel. He started rapping and writing songs at age nine. He began recording cover versions of his favorite tracks and sharing them with friends and online. His family exposed him to artists such as Eminem and fellow Palestinian DJ Khaled, the former of which Abdul considers to be one of his four favourites; the others are NF, Tupac and Jay-Z. He said he would like to go on Arab Idol like fellow Palestinian Mohammed Assaf.[8]

At the start of the 2023 Gaza war, Al-Shantti is living in Los Angeles,[9] although his family, including his younger siblings, are still living in Gaza.[2]

Career

In 2020, Al-Shantti advocated on behalf of Palestinian families in Gaza who were bombed by releasing the song "Shouting at the Wall".[10] Following the release, he caught the attention of the record label Empire. MC Abdul spoke about the importance of rapping as a tool for coping with challenging times saying “The power that I have in my pen when I'm writing, I am unstoppable. The microphone is the only escape possible”.[11] In 2022, he performs his first concert as part of the FIFA World Cup festivities in Qatar.[12]

In 2024, MC Abdul featured on Saint Levant's single "Deira" (about the destruction of Al Deira Hotel in an Israeli bombing), which has over 2.5 million streams on Spotify[13] and over 2.9 million views on the music video on YouTube.[14] The track is included in Saint Levant's debut album Deira.

Singles

As lead artist

  • Shouting At The Wall (2021)[10][15]
  • Palestine [Freeverse] (2021)[16]
  • Can I Live (2022)
  • It's All Good (2023)
  • Killing The Game (2023)
  • The Pen & The Sword (2023)
List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum or EP
LBN
[17]
"Deira"
(Saint Levant featuring MC Abdul)		20241Deira

References

  1. ^ Rasgon, Adam & Abuheweila, Iyad (2020-08-22). "11-Year-Old Scores Viral Rap Hit but Trips on Gaza Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived 4 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  2. ^ Saeed, Saeed (10 October 2023). "Family of Palestinian rapper MC Abdul trapped in Gaza". The National. Archived 10 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. ^ Alsaafin, Linah (2020-08-26). "Gaza's MCA rapper: An 11-year-old's message to the world". Al Jazeera. Archived 9 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  4. ^ Saxena, Akanksha (2021-05-17). "'This one is for Sheikh Jarrah': 12-year-old boy 'MC Abdul' raps about the atrocities in Palestine [WATCH]". Times Now News. Archived 9 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  5. ^ "Meet 'MCA Abdul', The Young Rapper From Gaza | Al Bawaba". albawaba. 2020-08-11. Archived 9 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  6. ^ MC Abdul (2021-06-29). "MC Abdul - Shouting At The Wall (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived 8 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  7. ^ MC Abdul (2021-05-15). "MC Abdul - Palestine [FREEVERSE]". YouTube. Archived 8 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  8. ^ Nafar, Tamer (2020-09-14). "Raised on Eminem and Tupac, 12-Year-Old Rapper From Gaza Advocates for Peace — and Lands Label Offer". Variety. Archived 3 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  9. ^ Badr, Hesham (2023-11-05). "15 Year Old Gazan Rapper MC Abdul Dreams of Peace in New Freestyle". Scene Music. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  10. ^ Saeed, Saeed (2021-06-30). "Palestinian rapper MC Abdul, 12, releases first official song: 'Shouting at the Wall'". The National. Archived 3 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  11. ^ Abou-Chakra, Razan (2021-07-01). "MC Abdul: Young Palestinian Rapper Drops His First Song". GQ. Archived 3 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  12. ^ Saeed, Saeed (2022-12-18). "Gaza teen rapper MC Abdul performs his first-ever concert at Qatar World Cup". The National. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  13. ^ "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  14. ^ Saint Levant - Deira ft. MC Abdul (Official Video). Retrieved 2024-04-17. – via www.youtube.com.
  15. ^ "Meet MC Abdul: Young Palestinian rapper who echoes the agony of occupied Palestine". The Business Standard. 2022-05-29. Archived 31 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  16. ^ "Amidst Gaza's Rubble, 12 Year-Old Rapper MC Abdul Speaks Out". Scene Music. 2021-05-21. Archived 5 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  17. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in Lebanon: *"Deira": "The Official Lebanese Top 20 – Saint Levant Chart History". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved March 3, 2025.