Arab Hip-Hop Champion Big Hass Presents New Collaborative Single

One of the best-loved characters in Arab hip-hop, Big Hass rounds up a gang of insanely talented artists from within the scene for a new collaborative single. With Big Hass in the role of executive producer, Huna Al Qahirah brings together Egyptian MCs Deeb and Felukah. Egyptian beat maker Big Moe is on production duty and Lebanese turntablist DJ Lethal Skillz showcases his scratching skills.

The result is dope. With its boombap outline, Huna Al Qahirah – which means Here Cairo – is laced with traditional Arabic instrumentals. The accompanying video sees Deeb rapping on the streets of Cairo in Arabic, while Felukah raps in Arabic and English on the streets of New York. Check out the video below:

Music Activist

From cyphers to singles, Big Hass is committed to championing Arab hip-hop. The self-confessed music activist is the host of Saudi’s first and only FM hip-hop radio show. He also founded the Re:Volver blog and magazine. His YouTube show Buckle Up is usually a series of interviews Big Hass conducts on the go. In the age of Covid-19 though he’s abiding by safety measures and conducting interviews online. He’s also currently hosting drive time show Yalla Home, on Sharjah’s first English radio station Pulse 95FM.

Esteemed hip-hop DJ and producer, turntablist Lethal Skillz has also played a big part in the Arabic hip-hop movement since the ’90s, while rapper and producer Deeb has been carving out his career since 2005. Deep helped ignite hip-hop in Egypt.

Femcee

Confession time: femcee Felukah wasn’t on our radar before the release of Huna Al Qahirah. Her performance on the single sent us scurrying to find out more and now we can’t get enough of Felukah’s music. Dubbed by Scene Noise as “the neo-soul artist bringing the Nile to New York”, Felukah entered the music scene with her Yansoon EP in 2018. Albums Citadel and last year’s Dream 23 have since followed. Check out Feluka’s Heliocentric track from her Dream 23 album below: