Palestinian hip hop: Temporal subversion and the creation of futurities for Palestine

This article examines how the Palestinian hip hop collective BLTNM (pronounced ‘blatinum’), especially the work of rapper Shabjdeed and producer Al Nather, creates what can be understood as temporal subversion – crafting new timelines and futurities through their music and storytelling. Based in Ramallah, Palestine, the artists employ localized sampling, narrative world-building and independent production as means of creating cultural continuity and self-determined futures in the face of occupation and erasure. Analysing their albums Sindibad el Ward and Sultan , along with the companion novel F70 , I explore how these artists blur lines between fiction and reality, constructing a Palestinian futurity anchored in dignity, self-determination and endurance. The narrative arc of Sultan, culminating in sacrifice yet steeped in satisfaction and dignity, mirrors BLTNM’s broader project: to seed a future where Palestinian existence, culture and autonomy (creative and otherwise) persist. By integrating past and present sonic traditions with speculative and counter-storytelling practices, BLTNM challenges colonial temporalities that seek to erase Palestinian past, present and futures. Thus, through temporal subversion, they are not only insisting on but also actively creating possibilities of continuity against all odds. In doing so, they seed a future that is creative, rooted, dignified and self-determined: their own.