‘KHADSHA CYPHER’
Executive producer Big Hass delivers another great showcase of Arabic hip-hop on this new cypher featuring five MCs from the Levant and the GCC: Jordanian-Palestinian rappers Shouly and El Far3i, Edd Abbas from Lebanon, Maysa Daw from Palestine, and Blvxb from Saudi Arabia. Each of the rappers takes a verse of their own over a beat created by UAE-based producer Rayan.
“I wanted to do two things with this record: Bridge cultures between the Levant and the GCC, and showcase the lyricism of Arabic rap,” Hass tells Arab News. “Arabic rap is really booming right now and there’s a lot of vibe and melody to it, which is really beautiful — but I wanted to showcase another angle.
“The four guys recorded their verses first and I wanted to have a female voice, but I didn’t want to just tick a box, I wanted to showcase real talent and real lyricism. So I hit up Maysa and said, ‘Can you destroy this beat?’ And that’s exactly what she did,” he continues. “She rocked it.”
As well as bridging the GCC/Levant divide, the MCs also straddle generations: Both Abbas and El Far3i are veterans of the Arab hip-hop scene, Daw has been part of hip-hop pioneers DAM for several years, while Shouly and Blvxb are relative newcomers.
“Blvxb is, in my opinion, one of the top artists in the Arab region right now,” Hass says of the latter. “I respect him as a human, I respect him as an artist. He’s built a fanbase out of nothing. In terms of hip-hop, Saudi Arabia is so focused on the old-school; he came in with this new-school mentality. So I wanted to show that he can rock with the best of them.”
The track is being distributed by US-based company Empire — who work with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar — and feedback so far has, Hass says, been “magnificent.”
“Two things I’ve noticed: One, that the young crowd are loving the fact that there are lyrics in Arabic rap. Number two: The rappers have gained (more followers) because of the hype around the record,” he says. “I’m very honored and very proud.”
TASJEELAT RECORD STORE
Manama’s Andalus Garden is home to the region’s newest record store, Tasjeelat. Founder Ali Al-Saeed — also the man behind indie label Museland Records — tells Arab News that when the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to live shows, “I secretly began selling records online, through Instagram, without letting anyone know who was behind it. I wanted to test something new that was not connected to me or to Museland in general, in an attempt to reach a new audience. With everything I do, I always seek to create an authentic environment that encourages experimentation, discovery, engagement. Tasjeelat is no different. I want it to be more than just a record store — a place that can also host intimate, small scale sessions and events.” The response so far has been good. “It’s been a joy seeing many locals showing up at the store, talking about music, asking about turntables, and musicians and other artists passing by and just having conversations,” Al-Saeed says. “I joke that Tasjeelat is a place by music nerds for music nerds.”
FAHAD ABDULAZIZ ALOUDAH
The Saudi photographer was one of four winners of the Dubai-based Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award’s (HIPA) July Instagram photo contest, the theme of which was “Nostalgia.” HIPA Secretary General Ali bin Thaith said in a press release: “Nostalgia can make us smile with joy or sadness all at the same time. It’s such a powerful theme.” Aloudah won for this image taken in Trinidad, Cuba, in June 2019. “The story is that this man is ex-military,” he explained. “He is proud of the medals awarded to him for his military engagements.”
IDREESI
The Jordanian singer and producer released “Amman,” a new single from his upcoming debut album “Wall of Sounds,” last month. The synth-pop track is a significant departure from his acoustic debut single “Lahjur Wesalik.” Despite the pop feel, however, “Amman” isn’t necessarily a feelgood track. It is, Idreesi says in a press release, a song about “the fake concrete city we live in and the phoney, shallow people around us. It’s about giving in to someone else’s idea of who we should be in order to keep the peace — all of this pressure eventually weighs too heavily on us.”
