Egyptian rapper Dareen is making waves in the male-dominated rap scene of Cairo with her sharp verses and electrifying performances. Her childhood inspires her unique style of rapping in Alexandria, the city that is home to many of Egypt’s biggest rap stars, including the popular Wegz.
Despite the fact that the industry is male-dominated, Dareen has managed to carve a niche for herself with her eclectic beats and powerful lyrics.
In an interview with AFP, Dareen explained that while rapping started in Alexandria, the industry is located in Cairo. In recent years, Cairo’s rap industry has grown dramatically, with Wegz being the most-played Arab rapper in the Middle East and North Africa on Spotify by 2022. According to Mark Abou Jaoude, Spotify’s Head of Music for the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, rap has influenced the charts, wrapped statistics, and all significant cultural events.
The hip-hop genre, which includes rap, has been the most streamed genre on Spotify, with 60 percent of the most-streamed Arab artists belonging to the genre. The increasing number of rap artists touring Europe and the United States is a testament to the fact that fans worldwide, including diaspora communities, are connecting with the genre.
According to music researcher Amr Abdelrahim, Egyptian rap had an underground status for a long time. However, the professionalisation of the craft has changed everything. Rappers are now getting multinational advertising deals and performing on party boats on the Nile River in Cairo. This is the first generation of rappers that is seeing their elders make big money from the genre.
Women performers in the rap scene, who were out of the spotlight for years, are now vying for success in the industry. Dareen’s song, Leila, which talks about her disappointment with fellow artists, has close to 180,000 views on YouTube. While Cairo’s line-ups increasingly feature women rappers donning stylish streetwear for larger-than-life performances, there is still a class divide that they need to cross.
