“Can’t Take Our Freedom”—M. Khaled and Lowkey

Mounting tensions in Libya inspired 26-year-old Chicago rapper M. Khaled to release a music video entitled “Can’t Take Our Freedom,” featuring UK rapper, Lowkey. The first lines of the chorus, “You can’t take our freedom, or take our soul / Take our freedom or take our soul / You are not the one that’s in control / You are not the one that’s in control,” sum up the overall message of the song speaking to the Gadhafi regime. “It was never my intention to be a political rapper, or write political songs,” said M. Khaled in an interview with Arab Detroit News. Even so, this most recent release has become one of his most popular tracks to date. This song also seems to tie back to the legacy of his father, Mohamed Ahmed, who was reportedly held as a political prisoner in Libya for five years after leading student protests against the Gadhafi regime. “Like, could we be this close? Nah, couldn’t be / But if the people in Egypt and Tunis could do this, decide their fate…then why wouldn’t we?” raps M. Khaled.