Exploring the ebbs and flows of growing up in a big city, 14-year-old, Cairo-based rapper, Aeshis,  is impressively thoughtful in his debut release, The 44 Tape. With the number ‘44’ paying homage to the double ‘A’ in the name of his home, Maadi, the young rapper - real name Hamza Soliman - focuses on living in the suburban Cairo district and how his surroundings have shaped and influenced his experiences as well as anxieties and aspirations typically attributed to coming-of-age.

The rapper is a fan of New York-based Egyptian rapper, Felukah, and finds inspiration in the likes of Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$ and Frank Ocean, with many moments in the album being quite reminiscent of Ocean’s Channel Orange, melodically and stylistically. The album was mostly produced by 15-year-old Cairo-based producer, Ali Lasheen, a friend of Aeshis, with the exception of ‘Pink Lemonade’, which was produced by Aeshis himself.  The rapper is planning another album, followed by a more experimental project merging astro-music with hip-hop in the near future.

At only 14 years of age, the young rapper has exhibited quite the ability in experimenting with different themes and styles. Though the mixing and mastering of the album is where it comes across as somewhat unpolished, it seems to have kicked off a – very possibly – promising journey. 

Follow Aeshis on Soundcloud, Instagram and YouTube.