Ealing Central and Acton MP Shows She Can Rap
Rupa Huq puts on a hip-hop show on BBC Five Live
Ealing's newest MP has been demonstrating her skills for something other than political debate.
Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central & Acton, who has a PhD in Youth Culture, appeared on BBC Radio Five Live 'Pienaar’s Politics', and was asked to showcase one of her lesser known talents – the ability to rap in French
Pienaar provided a hip-hop backing track – and Huq delivered a verse of French lyrics.
The political editor of New Statesman, George Eaton described it as the “best performance I’ve seen by any politician”, and the show’s host John Pienaar tweeted copying BBC Radio 1 Xtra’s famous ‘fire in the booth’ segment using the hashtag, ‘#fireinthepollingbooth’.
Huq, a former senior university lecturer, is fluent in French and has previously written a book chapter about the interaction of youth, identity and hip hop in France.
She said: “I must say I was pretty surprised when asked to “show us what you got”.
''I spent 1996-7 as a postgrad at Strasbourg University and have been a Francophile ever since. The lines I was reciting were the first French lyrics that came to my head – from a track called ‘La Douce France’ (‘Sweet France’) by Carte de Séjour, an Algerian group covering a classic chanson from the forties by Charles Trenet.”
So, if Dr Huq ever finds herself out of her Westminster day job perhaps a new career beckons?
23rd March 2016
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