Long before hip-hop became a dominant force in Egypt's music scene, with the trap wave that swept the nation in the late 2010s, there were early - often awkward - attempts to establish a rap culture in the country. While these initial efforts might not have met the standards of today's polished productions, they were instrumental in laying the foundation for what would become a thriving genre.

In this nascent era, attempts by groups like MTM, Y-Crew - formed by Omar Boflot and Yassin Zahran in Alexandria - and Ismailia Soldiers were crucial. At the time, most of the music produced by these early pioneers suffered from poor quality, largely due to a lack of resources and experience. The songs were often heavily influenced by American hip-hop, sometimes to the point of mimicry, with many early tracks performed in English rather than Arabic.

These early rap circles operated almost entirely independently, with few exceptions like MTM’s ‘Omy Mesafra’ that was backed by a major production label, which gave them the resources to produce a higher quality product and reach a broader audience. MTM’s success, however, was an outlier in a scene that was still largely underground.

While many of these early tracks may now be viewed as "cringe" or overly derivative, they were crucial in the development of Egypt's hip-hop culture. These artists, even if they didn't reap the benefits of rap's eventual commercialization, were the unsung heroes who laid the groundwork for the genre's future success. Their contributions, from the experimental to the explicitly raw, created a legacy that has influenced the sounds we hear today.

As the scene evolved, one of the most pivotal figures in redefining Egyptian rap was Abyusif. Unlike many of his predecessors, Abyusif, along with producer Swag Lee (also known as ZULI), focused on creating original and authentic music that wasn't just a copy of Western hip-hop. Their collaboration resulted in a distinctive sound that blended gritty beats with raw, unfiltered lyrics, setting a new standard for quality in the Egyptian rap scene. Abyusif's journey was particularly influential, as he not only carved out a distinct voice in Arabic rap but also redefined rap songwriting in the Arabic language. His innovative songwriting approach and refusal to conform to the typical Westernized templates of hip-hop left an indelible mark on the next generation of rappers, who eventually took rap to unprecedented heights.

We’ve curated a list of some of the tracks that pioneered Egyptian hip-hop - from the cringe to the overly explicit and the true experimental. The list ranges from collectives like Egy Rap School and Arabian Knightz to Kordy, El Joker and Abyusif with a lot more in between.

Shout out to ZULI for his RAPMANIA episode on NTS Radio, who greatly helped in researching this.

Full list down below.

Egy Rap School - Abtal El 7k