Middle Eastern Rappers Featured on Official Soundtrack of Netflix’s ‘The Old Guard’

While one could argue that Netflix has had more success with its original series than it has with its original movies, the streaming platform’s latest outing has been met with near universal acclaim – not leasr here in the Middle East.

You see, the Charlize Theron-starring superhero flick, which is based on a comic of the same name, was partially shot in Morocco for the sections of the film that are set in South Sudan and Afghanistan. Now, no one’s saying that this had any effect on its popularity in the region (it hit number one in Egypt, for example), but we as Arabs love to see a part of us on a global stage and proudly think, “yep, that’s ours.”

Then there’s the fact that Egyptian comic artist, Ahmed Refaat, was one of a handful of people from across the world commissioned by Netflix to reinterpret the film’s poster in their own styles and. The reason we’ve gathered you here today, though, is that the official soundtrack features two Middle Eastern artists. First is Moroccan rapper, Krtas Nssa, who delivers a short but sweet dose of trap with ‘Keep This Between Us’, while Iranian rapper, CHAII, serves up an avant-pop-rap piece with Persian influences.

Used in a rather intense fight scene on a plane, CHAII’s ‘Nobody Know’ was released earlier this month as part of the New Zealand-based artist’s debut visual EP, LIGHTSWITCH, which is said to have been inspired by the rapper’s journey of learning more about the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Though still a relative newbie, CHAII has previously been commissioned by UFC and Fox Sports Australia for a global promo, while Fendi has used her music in campaigns, too.

Krtas Nssa, meanwhile, is considered one of the biggest female rappers to come out of Morocco, alongside the likes of Ily and Manal, a trailblazer of Morocco’s unique evolving hip-hop scene. Rapping primarily in French, her last release came earlier this month, when she teamed up with Belgium-based rapper, Yanso. The rappers are in notable company on the soundtrack, which also features music from Frank Ocean, Khalid, Elle King and, give us strength, Marshmello.