This week, our rap radar picked up numerous fresh releases and unexpected collaborations from across the Middle East and North Africa, including standout contributions from Morocco, Palestine and Egypt. The playlist features new music from the likes of Small X, Marwan Moussa, Lege-Cy, and Ziad Zaza.

Moroccan rapper Small X enters a new era with ‘Albi’, a joint track with Berlin-based producer Saib, marking his debut project on Mass Appeal Records. Meanwhile Casablanca’s Mr Danger disses Dizzy Dros on ‘13 3 AM’, and Lembawe9 delivers ‘LHANGAR Cypher’, featuring a stacked roster of Morocco’s most exciting rappers, including Lmorphine, The only, Astro, Kpv, and Raid.

Over in Egypt, Khaled Essam makes a surprise comeback after a four-year absence from the scene with ‘Zaman’, an unexpected collaborative track featuring Hamza Namira and Ziad Zaza –a pairing that feels like a glitch in the matrix. Meanwhile, from the BLTNM family, Ramallah-based rapper Fawzi and Smokholic present ‘Fahem’, examining the power dynamics of the Israeli occupation through a sarcastic lens.

The playlist also features Egyptian rap moguls Marwan Moussa and Lege-Cy with ‘Kalemney Belel’, from Moussa’s brand-new full-length album, ‘The Man Who Lost His Heart’, along with Rising Egyptian rapper Youssef Gaber with ‘Underdog’, demonstrating a commanding delivery reminiscent of Abyusif. There’s also Kamikazem, one part of the Ka2en collective, returning after a year of hiatus with a heartfelt love anthem, ‘Bafakar Feeky’, produced by Sintax.

TRACKLIST:

Fawzi, Smokaholic - FAHEM