Egyptian rapper and regional trap pioneer, Wegz, has been presented as the Middle East’s nomination for GQ Magazine’s Voices of the Future, a roundup of global GQ editions’ views of the hottest homegrown artists defining the future of music.
The GQ list features a handful of megastars across all genres, looking at the world’s talk of the town and exhibiting musicians shaping the zeitgeist. It’s entirely appropriate, then, and comes as no surprise to anyone with even a casual ear attached to the spectacle that is Egypt and the Middle East’s generation-defining rap scene, that Wegz is described by the publication as one of the “21 most exciting young musicians on planet earth.”
Over the course of four years, Wegz has pioneered and refined his distinct brand of blending Mahraganat and shaabi with trap, elevating the genre from subcultural status to becoming one that embodies the spirit of an Egyptian generation as it comes of age. His booming melodies have transcended the country’s class borders too, serving as both a soundtrack of the streets while simultaneously turning heads of the old guards whose foothold on the region’s music identity dwindles as his songs introduce an unfamiliar dance into ritzy parties, all while achieving momentous commercial success.
But the humble protagonist never planned for this, laying out a simple inspiration to GQ, “I write music that means something to me and I never think about it beyond that,” he says.
He admits, though, that “it is very fulfilling to realise that people can relate and that they want to listen. It serves as motivation to push my culture forward and take it to the global stage.”
