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2019 has been a year full of events with a new hip-hop wave taking the Egyptian scene by storm. Whether you listen to hip-hop or not, the story of 24-year-old Marwan Moussa, one of the most prominent names in the hip-hop scene, is one worth telling. After studying something he was not interested in he realized that his passion lies in making music.
Moussa's music career embodies the importance of authenticity to one’s own self, that creativity speaks louder than arrogance, persistence in one’s craft and old fashion hard work. After studying abroad he refused to give up on what makes him Egyptian. Instead of integrating into a culture that wasn’t his, he decided to be a mover and shaker of the hip-hop mahraganat scene, his words and songs clearly reflect his deep love for Egypt and the culture as well as his passion towards making it a better place.
More than anything it is a force of character that shines through everything he does which is the true reason Marwan is our featured artist of the month.
1- You have released a decent share of tracks throughout past 3 years, how do you feel your work evolved throughout these releases?
Before, I used to write the kind of rap that said I am the best and you're not, but the more I grow the more I realize that every time I write a song that expressed something real and human, people receive it, understand it and feel it better. The lyrics have changed drastically, and I've noticed it's a general change with everyone not just me. The way of writing has changed, it's not about the word play anymore, but saying something poetic. Just because you're a rapper doesn't mean you can't write sad songs.
On the music level, especially in my generation, I feel like we want to be Egyptians again. We don't want to make rap that doesn't represent us or our culture. So now we turned to this alternative music where rap producers tried to do Mahraganat music, which is something that is so authentically Egyptian. As a result, this new genre has emerged, with a unique mixture between rap and mahraganat, and I am very optimistic about this new wave because it feels ours and it is.
2- Tell us more about your song “el bosla da3et" the concept behind it, in terms of theme and lyrics?
During el bosla da3et, nehayet el 3alam and el kholasa, I had this system that I was going to upload a song every week and I didn't have enough songs so I wrote those 3 songs in a rush. So whenever I listen to them I feel like they're someone else's, not mine. I didn't feel those things when I wrote el bosla da3et but after two months I looked back and realized that I was feeling this, but I repressed it in order to deal with what was happening around me. I had a lot of responsibilities and people relied on me at the time, so I repressed everything cause I didn't have the time to face it.
Many times I look back at my songs and I think they doesn't represent me anymore, or that maybe I should've worked better on it. But to my surprise, I find people messaging me saying that a certain song changed their lives. It makes me feel like once a song is outside of me it doesn't belong to me anymore, but belong to everyone listening to it. They are making their own interpretations and that's the beauty of it.
3- You are known for writing, singing, and producing your own tracks, what are the pros and cons of such process?
The best thing about it is that I am able to create my world completely, and allow people to access it with writing, producing and singing. I think it's something special, because not a lot of people are able to do this. But the down side is that one can't give his full energy and attention to only one thing. For example if I have 100% energy I have to distribute it between 3 separate things. I make my songs accordingly, when am producing I don't think about the lyrics, when am writing the lyrics I don't think about singing, and when am singing am only focused on giving it my all.
4- Which Arab or English rappers were you listening to growing up? And was there someone specific who had a strong influence on you?
When I was young I used to listen to American rap only like Eminem and Travis Scott which is now a major influence on my singing and then I stopped for a while. Then, I got into it again in 2013, although I was rejecting the whole idea of Egyptian rap and I didn't think I would like it. But I listened to Abyusif, and I actually really liked it.
5- Let's put rap aside for a second, when and how did you get into music production?
I used to listen to trap music at that time and whenever I listened to a song I was attracted to the tune and the music more than singing. So I went online and asked how to know if I have a musical ears and I read an article that said I have this talent based on some questions. So I downloaded a musical program and started to play on it, I had a friend with me in college that liked to play music, I worked with her for 6 months learning the basics and then I felt like I understood it then I started to develop with time.
I think the best solution for me is collaborative work, it’s slower but I believe the results are better, except for certain areas in music like writing, this has to be done alone.
6- Where were you before you started making music? What made you finally decide to become a full time career rapper?
I had just graduated college and I was studying cinema. That was the time I sent Abyusif a message and we met, I worked with him for a while, I saw him every week and I learnt a lot from him, and by that time I had decided that I like music way more than cinema. I felt like if I do what I love then I will never get bored of it and the journey started. I spent a whole winter watching tutorials and working on music and sending it to my friends, they liked it so I kept going.
7- What is music to you?
When I play a song it feels like am playing PlayStation, it becomes a mystery that I want to solve. It starts with an idea for instance I am unhappy so I start to think of a tune that expresses that feeling, then I look for words that are about things that am thinking of at the moment, words that has a rhythm, it doesn't have to be understandable. I think about those details more than I think about delivering a feeling. Now my goal is deepen and widen the feeling that people get from my music and think about things more deeply, my problem is that I really enjoy the technicalities.
8- Is there any upcoming projects or albums you’re working on?
I am making enough music now where it could be an album. But I feel like, to make an album there has to be something that ties all the album together. So that would be my next step, but at the moment I have 10 songs that I already worked on. But, I think what happens with me always is that maybe I'll upload 7 out of the 10 songs.
9- What do you wish to change in the Egyptian music culture?
What I don't like about underground music, except Maharagat, is that it's heavily influenced by the west. We're all influenced by the west in a way or another but we shouldn't adopt their ways, we should innovate our way. If you listen to an old Arabic song and let it influence you you'll be building our culture and this is what happens in America, whenever they're bored of the music that that they have, they go back to old things and they develop it, they don't take from other cultures.
10- What do you think Mahragat bring that are new to music in general?
Mahraganat has people that are influenced by pop like love songs, it has people influenced by rap like when you insult someone in a song. It has producers who are influenced by techno or trance music and it has people influenced by the old oriental songs, there is everything and that’s why I love mahraganat. If you look at hip-hop’s role in America, that’s what mahraganat does here. Some people in Egypt think mahraganat doesn’t speak to them but I think this is just a matter of time. Currently mahraganat is being regarded not as a music genre, but been associated with a certain class of people and the rest don’t think it represents them. Now that’s a misconception, because music is not for a certain class, it’s for everyone.
I generally like to compare rap with mahraganat because they’re both low production. Rap at first was political or for a party and then new types has emerged. But mahraganat music is different because it’s more of practical music, it has to sell. It’s distribution is heavily dependent on how many people listen to it.
With rap am only talking to one person but with the Mahraganat it has to make you dance in a wedding. Fortunately there is also another kind and it’s called listening mahragan, those ones I think people will relate to more.
11- The Egyptian rap scene had so many beefs during 2019, how much are these beefs important in the rap culture?
I feel like this beef made me more focused although I don’t like it. Because it’s taken from another culture and the whole concept doesn’t make sense to me. In our culture, if I had a fight with someone I go and I talk to them in person, and solve my problem with them. Maybe it could be good if it’s done in a more respectful way, we don’t have to get down to a street fight level. The goal shouldn’t be insulting the other person, but determining who is a better rapper and who has more of an imagination. To show the other person in a new perspective not an insulting one.
12- How does what you sing about connect to Egypt?
Not necessary, the things I talk about are things that connect to me as a human being living in a certain era or time, in a certain place in Egypt as one of this generation
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