After a string of recent collaborations, such as ‘Mesh Hategy’ with Egyptian Mahraganat duo El Sawareekh followed by ‘GG’ with Ahmed Santa and Lil Baba, Egyptian rapper Abo El Anwar drops his first EP of 2023, ‘Akhro Noor’.
The tracks on the EP push the rapper into unfamiliar territory, as we see the Abo El Anwar experimenting with styles such as dance music and bedroom pop, making this EP stand out among his body of work.
With the regional music scene becoming somewhat dominated by styles such as drill and Afrobeats (both of which Abo El Anwar has experimented with in the past), this EP pushes away from these emerging trends. Instead, it explores a different musical palette, veering into dance music, pop, funk, and old-school hip-hop elements.
The EP kicks off with the track ‘Blanco’ featuring acclaimed Egyptian rapper Husayn. In this track, the duo take on an upbeat, dance music-inspired sound while playfully exchanging lines throughout the performance. This style pulls from the emerging Jersey Club sound, which has been gaining popularity globally and in the Egyptian rap scene.
The EP continues to explore this upbeat, danceable style in the tracks, ‘Mass7a’, and ‘Mafish Ba5af’, albeit while incorporating a variety of sonic elements throughout the tracks. Meanwhile, tracks such as ‘Tb Eh’ and ‘Wija’ (in collaboration with Ahmed Santa and Dr. Mo3geza) give the release more freshness, as ‘Tb Eh’ explores a rock-driven beat, with elements of funk and bedroom pop shining through, while Wija features more of an old-school hip-hop sonic style, with thin-sounding synthesisers and bouncy drums. As for the star-studded track, Wo Wo, which was made in collaboration with Abyusif, Desso, Ahmed Santa and Lil Baba, Abo El Anwar delivers a groovy release that makes use of minimal structure and danceable rhythmic ideas.
Listen to Abo El Anwar’s latest EP ‘Akhro Noor’ here:
