By: Madeline Schneider
In the Middle East, hip-hop music is emerging rapidly. The streaming of hip-hop music in the Middle East since 2020 has grown tremendously, with countries like Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates streaming the most. Hip-hop music is a powerful tool for self-expression, resistance, and cultural identity in the Middle East. The region’s artists blend traditional sounds with modern rap to create a unique hip-hop scene that deserves more attention.
The same thing that made hip-hop music popular among minority groups in the West also caught the attention of protest artists in the Middle East. Similar to Black artists in the United States, Middle Eastern protesters saw their governments ignoring their struggles and shutting the traditional ways of speaking out. Therefore, when rap started gaining traction in the Middle East, it was primarily used to share their own truth with the world.
Canadian rapper Drake noticed the new interest in Arabic rap music and added Arabic lyrics to his 2020 song ‘Only You Freestyle’ with British artist Headie One. Drake sang: “Arabic ting told me I look like Youssef, look like Hamza. Habibti please, ana akeed inti w ana ahla” roughly translates to “my love, please, I’m sure, you and I are better.” This moment signaled a growing recognition of Arabic rap’s influence on the global music scene, paving the way for artists like El Rass to bring their unique voices to the genre.
Mazen El Sayed, a.k.a. El Rass, is a Lebanese rapper known for his socially and politically charged lyrics. His songs address many issues surrounding the Arab region, like unemployment, foreign occupation, corruption, and religion. Sayed worked as a journalist before getting into music, and his most recent album, Oct.r 6, explores the implications of life before Oct. 7th and the world’s transformation after that day.
Saint Levant, a.k.a. Marwan Abdelhamid, grew up in Palestine and Jordan, before coming to the United States for college. His popularity is rapidly increasing, with his 2022 rap track ‘Very Few Friends,’ getting more than 2 million views on YouTube in under just a month. His songs are written in English, French, and Arabic and are well-known for their international appeal.
Hip-hop in the Middle East continues to grow, blending tradition with modernity while giving artists a voice to challenge societal issues globally.