2023 is only a few days away and most of us are still processing our pre-pandemic traumas that are about to celebrate their third birthday in January. It wouldn’t be all wrong to say that this year finally felt like a normal year, a pleasant return to reality from successive waves of lockdowns and myriads of restrictions caused by COVID-19, freeing our minds from the disease’s shackles and allowing us to express ourselves creatively without anything holding us back.
This year was undoubtedly Egypt’s year, with homegrown rappers and MCs finally capitalizing on all their efforts and the momentum built around their craft in previous times to push the limits of the culture further. Wegz, who was just recently crowned most listened-to artist on Spotify before hitting the stage at the closing ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has been one of the notable flag bearers of the North African republic in the sonic industry, inspiring hundreds from his native country to follow in his steps and develop an intrinsic sound of their own, all while trying their utmost best at getting a small taste of his triumphant success. Luckily enough, his homeland isn’t short of any talent at all.
To get a better understanding of the local scene, we called on Amr El Gabalwy, AKA Speko, one of Cairo’s most prominent figures, to carefully curate three playlists that will provide you with an extensive list of 2022’s best combo of rhythm and poetry hailing from Egypt. Having worked closely with the likes of Alexandria-born Marwan Pablo or Giza-based Moscow, the young creative trailed every single release of the past 12 months, handpicked the most electrifying and captivating ones, and packaged them into three separate lists, namely best bangers, best sad rap, and best rap stars to make sure none of you miss out on any of this year’s heat.
“It all started with the first playlist dedicated to the bangers of this year that I believe all of us listeners might want to press play on when at the club,” the 28-year-old said of his creative process before adding that it was only after curating it that he started coming across bangers with different moods, which led him to create the “sad playlist.” “We barely hear rappers expressing their emotions, this was the perfect opportunity to showcase those that take the time to do so,” he shared.
Obviously, the above would not be complete without the inclusion of the breakthrough artists of the year according to Speko, who centered his last selection “to the young, fresh, and brave talents that worked hard to deliver their struggle through music.”
Featuring some of the scene’s most revered names such as Marwan Moussa, Abyusif, and the explosive Maadi Town Mafia to more lowkey profiles like Muhab, Wingii, Budgy, and Mared, below, your definitive guide to the best Egyptian rap songs of 2022.
2022 Top Egyptian Rap Bangers
2022 Top Egyptian Sad Rap
