Street Art: An Exploration of Egyptian Rap Music as a Reflection of Youth Dreams and Social Reality

Sayed Abdul Hamid

Sayed Abdul Hamid’s “Street Art: Stories about Egyptian Rap Music,” published by Sulfur Editions in 2024, introduces the core of Egyptian rap music, presenting it not just as a genre but as a cultural movement deeply intertwined with the social, political, and personal realities of Egyptian youth. The book explores rap music’s evolution, impact, and significance within the Egyptian context, examining its role as a voice for a generation marked by hope and disillusionment.

Rap Music as a Reflection of Egyptian Society

Sayed’s work emphasizes the inseparability of rap music from Egypt’s social and political landscape. The book analyzes the spread of rap on social media and music platforms, linking its rise to the social, political, and cultural factors prevalent in Egyptian society. For the post-revolution generation, rap serves as a powerful medium for expressing complex emotions, including satire and frustration. Sayed goes beyond viewing rap as mere street art, recognizing it as an expression of youth dreams. Each track represents a “small revolution” that addresses the hopes and disappointments of a generation clinging to hope.

Expression of Self: Rap relies on self-expression, the connection between the text and its creator encourages listeners to delve into the musical world of each song.

Key Themes and Motives Explored in “Street Art”

The book explores the reasons why many individuals seek to be present in the rap scene, particularly in the context of the post-revolution generation. Sayed examines the motivations of rap artists who engage in numerous battles, face defeats, and return to fight again. The book tackles the dynamics of quality versus mediocrity, leadership versus obscurity, and value versus talent within the rap scene. While acknowledging the commercialization of rap music, Hamid highlights its continued importance as a tool for young artists to express themselves honestly and freely. “Street Art” recognizes the role of music platforms and social networking sites in the rise of rap music, particularly after the Arab Spring.

Focus on Individual Artists and Their Projects

The book emphasizes the connection between rap songs and their authors, viewing each rapper as a writer who relies on literary mechanisms. Sayed analyzes the artistic projects of individual rappers, exploring the reasons for their popularity and tracing the social landscape reflected in their work. “Street Art” dedicates chapters to prominent Egyptian musicians and rappers, including Abyusif, Marwan Pablo, and Wegz. It analyzes their musical achievements, challenges, and artistic prospects.

The Joker: The book explores El Joker’s beginnings as a rapper who started writing through poetry and used satire to respond to skeptics. El Joker is portrayed as a rapper with a cause, who does not abandon criticism of political, social, or cultural ideas.
Marwan Moussa: The book discusses Marwan Moussa’s unique style, influenced by his mixed background, and his ability to produce complex music.
Wegz: The book explores Wegz’s journey from Al Wardiyan to becoming a prominent figure in the Egyptian music scene, noting his talent in writing and choosing song subjects.
Abyusif: The book describes Abyusif’s significant role in shaping Egyptian rap, highlighting his versatility and impact on the genre.

The Book’s Target Audience and Objectives

Multiple Layers of Readers: “Street Art” aims to reach a diverse audience, including those interested in music, social issues, and the cultural phenomenon of rap music.
Definitions and Artistic Differences: The book provides important definitions of the artistic variations within rap music.
Historical Writing: It is intended as a historical account of the rap scene in Egypt, appealing to those interested in the social, cultural, and political causes of the current era.
Analysis and Appreciation: The book seeks to analyze what was previously dismissed as a mere phenomenon, offering literary criticism and appreciating the self-expression of each performer.
Female Rap: The book takes an above-average look at the female scene in Egypt, and explores Yukka Shaheen and Mayam Mahmoud.

“Street Art: Stories about Egyptian Rap Music” connects rap to literature by highlighting the connection between rap songs and their authors, viewing each rapper as a writer who relies on literary devices1…. Sayed Abdul Hamid emphasises that rap, in particular, is inseparable from literature as writing in a different way1. The book analyses each rapper’s project through extrapolation by re-reading each song as a short story. Each rapper is seen as a writer who relies on literary mechanisms. Reading a song is considered no different from reading literature. Rappers utilize mechanisms of writing literature, sometimes in the form of a short story. Rappers depend on understanding the basics of content creation and knowledge, Rappers draw on their diverse culture and life experiences to create valuable and attractive works of art. The book references El Joker, who started writing rap through poetry. When El Joker writes poetry to sing it, he does not forget his goal as a rapper – which is to express the concerns of an ordinary man. Wegz’s lyrical content can be divided into several stages, with the stage of beginning, experimentation, and talking about oneself. Shaheen’s experience highlights “wordplay” as the most prominent term in rap. Abyusif’s strength lies in the techniques of writing, in his creation of a complete linguistic dictionary of his own, his brilliant use of words, manipulating them, combining them, and changing them in each performance from the previous one is impressive.