Habibi Funk 024: The Father of Libyan Reggae [Habibi Funk]

Format: LP. Includes a 12-page 12” booklet with unreleased photos and interviews with Hesnawi.

We are proud to present the release of Ibrahim Hesnawi, "The Father of Libyan Reggae", available on October 6th. Kingston meets Tripoli in this fiery collection.

Hesnawi creates restless grooves with clear reggae-based support. The LP highlights how Hesnawi essentially pioneered such a natural synthesis between traditional Libyan music and Jamaican reggae styles, in addition to touches of funk, jazz, and disco that firmly place him in a league of his own.

In many countries, reggae was a widespread fad before its popularity waned. In Libya, however, the genre remained popular since its first introduction in the late 70s. Its themes—such as Pan-Africanism, liberation, and an end to oppression and exploitation—resonated, and continue to resonate, strongly with the Libyan public. To this day, you can find countless bands playing variants of the genre, as well as Facebook groups with a majority of Libyan members sharing old and new reggae tracks with tens of thousands of members. And no matter who you ask, it is highly likely that the genre's popularity in Libya is largely attributed to one man: Ibrahim Hesnawi.

Born and raised in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, Hesnawi was initially not interested in music; however, he credits Bob Marley as the life-changing influence after hearing his music at an electronics store where a friend worked.

Reggae is instantly recognizable by the counterpoint between the bass and the drum beat, and the offbeat rhythm section. This very particular rhythm is part of the reason why the genre became so popular in Libya, as Hesnawi explains:

"Libyans gravitate towards reggae for a reason; I think it's because of our traditional musical rhythm known as darbuka 'Libyan drum' or kaska. Its rhythm is very similar to reggae, therefore, society embraced this music and the nation loved and embraced the reggae style."

There are a handful of songs that Ibrahim Hesnawi sings in English, but 95% of his work is sung in Libyan Arabic. A conscious choice, not only because it was the language that came naturally to him, but because it allowed him to convey the message of his songs—so close to his heart—in the best possible way to the young generations of Libya who listened to his music.