XP Artist Spotlight: Dafencii

Having started his career in 2017, Sudanese-Saudi rapper Dafencii has earned his place as a favourite among rap fans for his sharp and sarcastic lyricism, his laid-back vocal style, and his impressive technical ability. The young rapper began amassing a loyal fanbase through his early releases, but eventually, his hit single ‘King Alhalaba’ (produced by Khayyat) propelled him into the mainstream, and his career has been flourishing ever since.

In mid-2023, however, the rapper took to Threads to announce his sudden retirement, which he explains was brought on by an urge to focus his attention on his personal and family life. But ultimately, the rapper admits that his love of hip-hop, and the freedom of expression it brings him were too strong to keep him away from the artform for too long. Since his return, the rapper has featured on the compilation track ‘Rajieen’, in which 25 of the MENA region’s biggest stars joined forces to raise awareness and collect relief funds for the people of Gaza, and has also released his latest single ‘El Maktoob’ earlier this week, in which he reflects on the confusion and conflicts he faced during his brief hiatus.

In this edition of XP Artist Spotlight, Dafencii sits down to talk about his tumultuous journey through the music industry, how he developed his writing style and delivery, his brief retirement, and his recent projects, ‘Rajieen’ and ‘El Maktoob’.

Watch the full interview here: