Palestinian Bar-Dropper Haykal Breaks Two-Year Hiatus With LP ‘ili’

One of Palestine’s most proficient lyricists, Haykal, has emerged from his two-year hiatus with a new LP, ‘ili’.

Following his 2021 EP ‘Lessa 3am Nantared’, which garnered over 70K listens on Spotify, Haykal’s latest release brings his trademark storytelling style over eight tracks (including an intro track and two interludes), with music production by fellow Palestinian artists Julmud, Beñanu and Atari, as well as Jordan’s Big Murk.

Throughout the album, the artist expresses his innermost thoughts, discussing his personal hardships and everyday life in Palestine through intense wordplay. Haykal swings us through different auras from track to track. There’s the more serious and explicitly darker delivery coupled with the hard-hitting beats of ‘Ashba7’ and ‘Galab’, while other songs take on a more optimistic vibe with a celestial lo-fi melody - although even then, you are never truly safe, with sharp lyrics that cut into you when you least expect it.

The artist takes a more fun approach in ‘yayayaya’, which is elevated by a sing-songy chorus, and humorous ad-libs that lends itself powerfully to political satire. The artist brings it all home with ‘3asal’, driven by bittersweet lyrics and a head-bop-inducing Boom-Bap beat.

The minimalistic music of each track goes hand in hand with the artist's fluctuating delivery putting his lyrics centre stage. The album is accompanied with various music videos and visualizers, each of which mirror the songs’ contrasting ambiances and emotions.