A yearlong uprising in Yemen forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave office early in twenty-twelve after thirty-three years in power.

El General is currently working with other musicians to denounce the violence in Syria.

(SOUND: Fighting in Syria)

Protests began there in March of twenty-eleven and grew into armed conflict as the government tried to crush the popular uprising.

In the early months of the Syrian protests, there were reports about a young man named Ibrahim Qashoush. At protests, he would sing a popular song among opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The song included lines like "It's time to leave, Bashar" and "Freedom is near."

Mr. Qashoush was found dead in the Orontes River in his hometown of Hama. His throat was cut and reports said his vocal cords were removed -- a message to anyone who might want to rebel or sing anti-government songs.

The Arab Spring movement spread with the help of social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

In Libya, activists used social media to report on the violence and protests that took place in the east. Khaled M is a rapper who was born in the United States to Libyan parents. He says the activists received training from a group of dissident Libyans living in the American state of Kentucky. He says they trained people in eastern Libya how to reach Western media through sites like YouTube and Google Voice.