This year has witnessed Moscow actualizing his vision of “conquering the continent”, as the vibrant Egyptian rapper released one hit after another with tracks like ‘Dawli’ and ‘Mesh Shayfak’ becoming some of the year’s most popular rap releases.
Previously, we have seen sides of the rapper’s personality that are thoughtful and emotionally intelligent, or, as with this year’s releases, more assertive and determined, but now with his latest track ‘Boleka’, Moscow shows a more laid-back side of himself, coming in on the charm-offensive through his lyrics and accompanying music video.
This track, produced by Rafiek, sees Moscow kicking things off over a pensive Wurlitzer electric-piano, in an aesthetic choice that puts the rapper in a new light. The surprises continue as the track springs to life by a bouncy 808, tasteful melodic samples, and a squiggly trumpet line playing unsteadily during the expressive chorus. This track sees Moscow veering away from the atypical electronic sound, leaning into live instrumentation (or sampling-therefore-of), which signals his interest in exploring more diverse musical influences.
At some point the track breaks into an all-out Arabic section, with traditional beats and instrumentation showcasing Moscow ’s melodic range, as well as Rafiek's production flex.
The music video, directed by BROKE GYPTIAN DIRECTOR (lol) and Amr Muhammed, sees Moscow performing in a tastefully faded colour palette, taking us around the city presented as both historical and tropical at the same time. The video doubles down on the humour found in the lyrics, as we see Moscow taking a step towards a more genre-fluid future.
Watch the full video for Moscow’s ‘Boleka’ here:
