Let’s rewind the clocks back to the gritty streets of 1970s New York, where the pulsating heartbeat of hip-hop first echoed through the Bronx neighborhood. The monumental address of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue became the cradle of a musical revolution, birthing a movement that would redefine culture for decades to come. It was here, on a fateful summer night in 1973, that Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc, and his sister threw a party that would go down in history as the birth of hip-hop. What started as a simple gathering transformed into ground zero for a phenomenon that would shape the trajectory of music forever.
From those humble beginnings emerged a genre rich in diversity and innovation, offering a plethora of avenues for artists to explore. One such facet is the legendary rap battles, a cornerstone of hip-hop culture. While their exact origins are shrouded in mystery, it’s widely believed that they were conceived around the same time of hip-hop’s inception. In 1981, rapper Busy Bee Starski’s performance at the Harlem World Christmas celebration sparked a legendary showdown with Kool Moe Dee, igniting a tradition of lyrical warfare that continues to captivate audiences to this day.
Fast forward to the present day, and hip-hop has transcended its New York roots to become a global phenomenon, finding its way into every corner of the world, even reaching the quaint streets of a town called 3agamy in Alexandria, where rap battles are pulsating within the ever growing Arabic rap scene. Enter: Rap Shar3 “Street Rap,” a grassroots movement spearheaded by Nour el Din, also known as Black B, a name he earned during his days as a beatboxer. The 24-year-old is on a mission to delve deep into the crevices of the Egyptian rap scene, bringing the underground to forefront, and showcasing to the mainstream what the streets have to offer.
Tracing back his beginnings, Black B’s journey began with a simple desire to break free from the monotony of everyday life. “I worked a very regular job, that put in the cycle of a mundane routine, and I really hated that routine so I was looking for something that would generate an income, but importantly it had to be something that I loved,” he told MILLE. “So I started beatboxing. I started making a bunch of videos, and in 2020 I decided to quit my job.”
With only 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($211) to his name, he started to make videos on TikTok, showcasing his beatboxing talents; However that also soon came to halt after he realized that wasn’t actually what he wanted to do.
Black B grew up around artists that, at the time, were still on the rise to stardom. Especially in Alexandria, where he was surrounded with the likes of Wegz and other artists who opened up his vision to the world of music. “I remember this one day, a friend showed me Moroccan rap, and up until then I was only interested in the Egyptian rap scene. I went down a rabbit hole. I started watching a bunch of videos and educating myself on the scene, from Morocco and Tunisia to French rap,” he shared. But initially, that wasn’t what sparked the idea of Rap Shar3. “I randomly came across this Canadian guy who would do rap battles or freestyles on the streets, and from there I got the idea of Rap Shar3,” el Din explained.
Inspired by the raw energy and authenticity of these battles, Black B teamed up with his friend Khaled Shaker to launch Rap Shar3, a platform dedicated to showcasing the raw talent of Egypt’s underground rap scene. In 2020, the duo gathered artists, gave them a microphone, and shot their first-ever freestyle video. “Me and Khaled made magic that day. It was the first episode of Rap Shar3, and it was in my hometown, Alexandria,” said the 24-year-old.
But Black B had grander ambitions than just showcasing local talent. He envisioned Rap Shar3 as a platform for cultural exchange by bridging the gap between countries and continents through the universal language of music. Unconcerned with mainstream hits and sensations, his goal then became to travel around Egypt and discover all the underground artists in the country that, in his eyes, should take the spotlight. “Instead of just producing a freestyle, I wanted the tracks that were performed in the videos to have longevity and live on past the videos,” he explained.
Black B and Shaker worked tirelessly on every video they put out, and were involved in each step starting from the shooting to, most importantly, the audio engineering of the tracks. “Although we filmed in the streets it was still high quality, and that is always our goal” Black B shared. However, running an independent platform on their own proved to be expensive.
Finding himself in a financial rut with logistics he couldn’t afford, with little to no sponsors, another idea came to mind for the duo. They decided to start introducing rap battles, constantly on the lookout for the most underground rappers with untapped potential. el Din’s first suggestion to Shaker was to gather rappers from Cairo and Alexandria and pit them against each other behind a mic.
From there, Rap Shar3 really established itself, garnering an audience that looked forward to the rap battles within various regions across Egypt. Rap Shar3 went on to collaborate with Freedom Music, another prominent platform in the rap scene in Cairo known for its cyphers, and propelled many Egyptian rappers into the spotlight. Wingii, known as one of the members of the Maadi Mafia Town Boys, was initially discovered through Rap Shar3, alongside Ebn tarek, Otsha, Framel, Badr, Hyper, and plenty more.
Following Shaker’s departure to pursue other dreams, Rap Shar3 welcomed a new co-owner, Omar Mado, marking a new chapter for the platform. Black B and Mado made a formidable duo with an international approach in mind. Up until then, the platform had been covering music solely coming out of Egypt, where they even produced battles between the different genres that existed in the North African country, such as Maharagan vs. Rap.
However, Black B had another plan in mind. He introduced the idea of putting two countries up against each other, starting with Sudan. “I don’t like to call it a ‘battle,’” he said. “It’s solely based on the best lyricists that come out of these two countries, and letting their talent shine through. We’re not trying to get people to cuss each other out or any of that,” he added.
The debut episode of “Street Rap Alexandria” in late 2022 set the foundation for Rap Shar3’s explosive growth. The subsequent release of “Street Rap Palestine” became a sensation, garnering 4 million views on Instagram and solidifying the platform’s viral appeal. Yet, it was the groundbreaking “Street Rap Sudan” edition that truly ignited the platform’s fame. This edition was unprecedented in scale, especially considering the challenges posed by nationwide blackouts in Sudan, which had severely disrupted communication. This watershed moment marked the ascent of Rap Shar3 to viral sensation status.
Unbeknownst to many, there exists a vibrant community of Sudanese artists within Cairo, a fact brought to Black B’s attention through a conversation with a Sudanese friend. It was this revelation that compelled him to take action, driven by a sense of duty to shed light on the harrowing realities in Sudan. “I was shocked by the lack of exposure surrounding the war in Sudan,” Black B recounts. “So, with the help of my friend, we gathered Sudanese artists and produced a video solely dedicated to shedding light on the ongoing crisis. It felt like the least I could do for my brothers,” he added.
After a meticulous filtering process, the stage was set for 13 young Sudanese rappers in Cairo to share their stories with the world. These artists dream of returning to the streets of Khartoum, united with a common goal to amplify the voices of their homeland and serve as beacons of success for future generations with each verse.
Among them, 22-year-old Hyper stands out with his smooth lyricism and captivating persona, captivating audiences with his viral debut, Kanet Ayam Ya Watany (Those Were Days, My Country), a cleverly titled anthem that blends nostalgia with a hard-hitting reality. Similarly, Veto commands attention with his poetic lyricism, notably in his song Khayana (Betrayal), where he condemns corruption within Sudan with every echoing “Ay.”
As our conversation drew to a close, Black B shared his vision for the future of Rap Shar3, expressing a fervent desire to elevate the platform to new heights. “For me, Rap Shar3 is a bridge between the underground and the mainstream,” he explained. “It’s a platform for artists to be discovered by record labels, producers, and music moguls. I simply provide them with a stage to showcase their talents and, hopefully, pave the way for them to be recognized on a larger scale. I want their success to unfold organically, allowing the raw talent of the underground to shine through.”
In the immortal words of the great Mos Def, “Shine your light for the world to see.” And with Black B at the helm, Rap Shar3 is doing just that—illuminating the streets with the voices of the unheard and ushering in a new era of musical discovery.
