Norwegian rap duo pays tribute to Pinoy au pairs in latest single
With a music video that opens with a scene inside a Catholic church, complete with a priest singing 'Ama Namin,' Norwegian rap group Karpe Diem's latest single is a tribute to Filipino au pairs.
"Au Pair" is a single from Karpe Diem's latest album, "Heisann Montebello (Hey Montebello)," a famous line by comedian Trond Kirkvaag's character, Jacob Winche-Lanche, and a reference to a town near the hometown of the group's members Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid and Chirag Rashmikant Patel.
In the song, which was in Norwegian, the duo tackles rich families who hire au pairs, or domestic assistants from a foreign country, to raise their children.
An article on the Norwegian website VG said the song also criticizes white men who use women from the Philippines and Chile so they can "continue to rule the world."
The video for "Au Pair" has a cast of mostly Filipinos, with young to middle-aged men seen roasting a lechon while drinking and playfighting in an impromptu arnis fight.
Jerseys with Filipino brands like Purefoods and the plain word Pilipinas also made their way into the video. Some scenes also show Filipino subtitles ("Kami nakaupo doon sa labas para uminom ng kape").
Abdelmaguid and Patel themselves are children of immigrants and are outspoken critics of the Norwegian Minister of Justice's response to the refugee crisis in Europe, according to VG.
The duo has won a Grammy Award and the first Bendiksenprisen, an award by music organization GramArt in 2010. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
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