It’s been interesting six months or so for Egyptian rap royal, Abyusif. A starring role alongside rapping compatriot, Marwan Pablo, in a big, national ad campaign confirmed his ascension into the mainstream, though a complete purge of his YouTube account in March raised eyebrows, particularly in light of Pablo doing likewise, but amidst a narrative of the Alexandrian quitting music.
Luckily, Abyusif
doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere soon and he’s released the first single
from his upcoming album, Makeena, which will be his first album release
since 2019’s kaleidoscopic ‘Tamam’.
Showing a
more vulnerable but typically defiant side, ‘Kol 7aga Bteb2a Gham2a’
(everything becomes dark), kicks off with an auto-tuned Abyusif singing
melancholically. “It comes all of a sudden, everything becomes dark/Everything
becomes quiet, God I’m living under your guard,” are the opening
lines, as the rapper looks for a strength and sustenance during times of fear
and anxiety.
The track, which Abyusif also produced, builds anxiously against the vocals, before twisting
into a trap beat at around 50 seconds in. Things are dialled up several notches,
however, when the sound of heavy, strained breathing bridges into a gritty, grimy
mid-section. It’s here that we feel the full force of Abyusif’s raps, before
things come full circle with another sung verse.
Where does
this line-up in the annals of Abyusif? It’s not the earth-shattering, bro-have-you-heard-this
return one might have expected. But it is a raw and personal first release from
the album and if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Abyusif over the years , it's to expect the unexpected.
