Belly Pays Tribute To His Palestinian Roots With “96 Miles From Bethlehem” Charity Album

Palestinian-Canadian rapper/singer Belly released his new body of work, 96 Miles From Bethlehem, on Thursday (May 30) via Universal Arabic Music.

96 Miles From Bethlehem serves as a tribute project for Palestine. Residents of the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territories have been facing constant military bombardment from the Israeli government.

Belly’s fourth studio LP features Palestinian artists Elyanna, Saint Levant, Ibrahim Maalouf and MC Abdul. All 96 Miles From Bethlehem profits will go to organizations supporting various Palestinian relief efforts. 

The album’s title refers to Belly’s birthplace of Jenin, Palestine. That West Bank city is 96 miles from Bethlehem. His family later moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to escape poverty and violence.

An official music video for the 96 Miles From Bethlehem track “Patience vs. Patients” landed on YouTube on Tuesday (May 28). Belly also published an official lyric video for the entire 18-minute album.

Previously, Belly released three studio albums. For instance, See You Next Wednesday hit DSPs in August 2021 with features by The Weeknd, Nas, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna and others.

His discography also has numerous mixtapes, including 2017’s Mumble Rap and 2023’s Mumble Rap 2. The sequel hosted features by Nav, Gucci Mane and Rick Ross.