Pioneering Mahraganat artist Fifty El Ostora has been a leading voice for the genre since its inception. Over the years, he has consistently released a wide array of popular tracks that have contributed to the development and public perception of the musical style.
Although the artist has developed a signature sound for himself, Fifty has never shied away from left-field sonic aesthetics. Previously collaborating with acts such as Molotof in the tracks such as, ‘Ghell’ and more recently, ‘BAD TRIP’, Fifty continues to shine a light on Shaabi-inspired genres that make use of electronic elements.
In his latest release, Fifty teams up with influential Egyptian music producer El-Waili, whose trademark sound has become somewhat of a benchmark for rappers and singers from the region looking to explore a more electronic-based musical context.
Fifty takes this feat in stride with the track ‘YAMMA’, where he delivers a dynamic performance over the colourful instrumental. While his gender references can be difficult to swallow, he lyrically switches through themes of pain and joy over El-Waili’s danceable, Shaabi-inspired beat driven by Lo-Fi, hip-hop, and electronic aesthetics.
In the music video, directed by 7mama, we are welcomed by El Waili’s signature 3D Skull graphic, as the camera zooms into an antique television set that shows Fifty behind the screen. We then transition into shots of Fifty delivering a charismatic performance, with footage shot in Switzerland and Germany, in a selection of settings that contrasts river-bed greenery with contemporary brutalist architecture. The video then ends the same way it starts with 7mama’s retro-inspired visuals, which use of a pixel-art font style and gaming icons displaying the title of the track as the outro plays out.
Watch the full video for Fifty El Ostora X El-Walili’s ‘YAMMA’ here:
