Haunted by gang
violence and poverty for decades, Lyari was once considered one of Pakistan's
most dangerous areas, but those grim realities also inspired a generation of
artists and spawned a burgeoning hip hop scene. With its close proximity to the
sea and history of smuggling, the largely ethnic Balochi neighborhood in
Karachi stands apart for its history of violence and lawlessness-even by
Pakistan's standards.

When Karachi
served as a major transport hub during the Afghan jihad against the Soviets,
Lyari was hit hard by the influx of weapons and drugs-and the surge in
brutality such black market businesses bring. Heavily armed gangs and political
hit squads exerted iron-fisted control over large swathes of Lyari, squashing
economic growth while residents battled with the fallout, including rampant
drug abuse and poverty.  "Lyari was
a notorious place because of the gangs and the war. It was almost impossible
for outsiders to even think about entering," explains resident and new
rapper Mohammad Omar.

But in recent
years, the gangs have been brought to heel following a heavy-handed operation
by paramilitary forces that kicked off in 2013 and saw the streets turned into
virtual war zones.  In the battle for
Lyari, gangs infamously used rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles to
fight security forces, with the crossfire shuttering schools and businesses and
also keeping kids off the streets. 
"Children used to cry listening to the fierce gunfire," says
Omar, adding: "The poor people were the victims of those gang wars. We
witnessed all those things."

'Showing reality'

But the worst of
the violence has abated, and an increase in security has led to flowering
creativity. The embattled neighborhood now clings fiercely to its reputation
for producing top footballers, iron-chinned boxers, and most recently socially
conscious rappers.

The rise of hip
hop in Lyari mirrors the genre's own birth decades ago in New York's Bronx
borough, where it largely centered around street performances and featured
lyrics that addressed social ills and life in urban ghettos.  Hip hop became a global phenomenon, but the
genre initially failed to generate much traction in Pakistan where music fans
tended to listen to pop, Bollywood soundtracks or traditional Sufi music. The
occasional forays by Pakistani musicians into hip hop over the years largely
served as interludes in pop songs that veered closer to comedy.

Not so in Lyari
where rappers were influenced by the likes of Tupac Shakur and looked to their
own experiences for lyrical inspiration. "In other cities and provinces,
there's rap but it's mostly about beautiful women and luxury cars," says
producer Qammar Anwar Baloch.  "We
are showing reality."

This artistic
expression with a bass line first burst onto the nation's airwaves in 2017
following the release of the hit song and video "The Players of
Lyari" by the Lyari Underground. 
The anthem doubles as an ode to the neighborhood's love for football in
cricket-obsessed Pakistan along with a fiery rant lambasting the country's
sporting authorities for neglecting the neighborhood's football talent.
"The young people in Lyari represent one of the first times in Pakistani
history where kids from the working classes are contributing to the music that
upper classes listen to as well," explains writer Ahmer Naqvi.   "They're using this moment to sort of
assert their own place within Pakistani society, to not be content with being
on the margins," he adds.

Digital
underground

For years, their
voices and stories were largely invisible in Pakistan. With little performance
space available Lyari's rappers have largely turned to the internet to share
their clips of their songs, which generate millions of views online.  "I want to highlight the issues in
Karachi and my own area in Lyari," explains eight-year-old rapper Waqas
Baloch, who released a video under the moniker Thousand earlier this summer.
The young MC is just one of dozens of rappers to pick up a microphone in recent
years, according to residents following the scene closely.

For cleric Jameel
Ahmed-who runs a madrassa in Lyari-youth interest in music and personal
expression is a welcome relief after years of tough times.    "It is far better than drugs, booze
and other such menaces. Music is helping them stay away from such things,"
says Ahmed.  He adds: "Now, their
minds are opening up."-AFP