Syrian American hip hop artist, Omar Offendum, was ready when the World Trade Center attacks thrust him into the spotlight. In the years since, he’s used his platform to build links between the U.S. and especially, the Syrian culture in which he was raised. Offendum is in Honolulu now, for a residency at Doris Duke’s Shangri La Center for Islamic Arts and Cultures. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports Offendum employs the raw honesty characteristic of hip hop to explore tough issues on a human level.
