With a distinct sense of lyricism and eclectic approach to his music, Egyptian rapper, Mosalem, has emerged as one of 2021 most interesting artists, one that has separated himself from the trap-shaabi sound that defines much of the Egyptian scene.
It isn’t just in sound that he’s separated himself, it's the subject matters he touches on, ranging from the tongue-in-cheek romantic, to the deeply reflective and personal.
Produced by Jamal Ehab, his latest release, ‘Daght’, falls in the latter camp, his lyrics painting a picture of suffocation, caused by the pressures of modern life. Baring some similarities to Kanye West’s ‘Black Skinhead’, heavily distorted 808s kick off a track that boasts a similar drum pattern to the Kanye classic, its irregularity keeping things interesting alongside a melancholic piano progression, without ever compromising Mosalem’s cleanly delivered, cleverly constructed bars.
