Originally based in Virginia, USA, Egyptian rapper Gamiano was known for spitting in English and shooting old-school VHS-aesthetic music videos in American convenience stores. Now, the artist has moved back to the motherland – and returned to his roots with his music.
In a digital move, Gamiano has completely cleansed his catalogue of any and all English music. Old YouTube videos? Gone. Streaming platforms? Visit the rapper’s Anghami page, and you’re met with a total of three Arabic-titled singles released since 2021: ‘Enti Fein’, ‘Madelia Dahab’, and his latest single, ‘Malazat’.
Other than clearly re-branding, this move implies that the artist is venturing upon a new journey of self-discovery on how he can express himself in his mother-tongue. This is certainly an incredible challenge to take on for someone who grew up in the States and was raised on American hip-hop and pop culture. From the outside looking in, however, it seems that Gamiano is hyper-aware of who his audience is in Egypt, and the potential market he could tap into as an Arabic-spitting rapper.
Business and marketing aside, artistically the rapper’s new sound and style is definitely taking on a clearer shape with each release. Every song features more Arabic than the last. His latest release, ‘Malazat’, is almost entirely Arabic with only a few English words littered here and there.
It’s impressive to see how the artist’s writing and flow has improved in the language. His pronunciation is more confident, his bars sharper. The beat is lo-fi with neo-soul undertones, with a matching flow of old-school boom-bap – a far cry from the trap sound he usually serves. The hook is catchy, addictive, and as usual, the artist dominates with ad-libs in his signature deep and gravelly voice.
Gamiano’s developing career and growth with each track is proof that it’s never too late to start fresh. With how great ‘Malazat’ is, we’re looking forward to his next release.
