The Africa Report

Egypt’s music industry shifts from major to minor amid fragile economy

For many decades Egypt was at the heart of Arabic music, and a pioneer of Western classical music practices in the Arab world. Egypt’s Golden Age (1950s-1970s) was known for setting trends and ...
The Washington Post

In Egypt, a vibrant brand of street music is outlawed as censorship deepens

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Hamo Bika rose up from the slums of this northern coastal city to become one of Egypt's most popular musicians. He has amassed millions of followers on YouTube and SoundCloud. He ...
New Republic

We Need a Revolution in Songs About Egypt

The revolution will always be harmonized. If no song in itself can change the world, revolutionary change usually happens to music, as it is today in the Middle East. News feeds from Tahrir Square and ...
IFEX

Secularists and conservatives in Egypt battle over music videos

The trend has stirred controversy in Egypt’s deeply conservative Muslim society with many Egyptians rejecting what they describe as “the pornification of pop music”. They insist that the “graphic, ...
The Economist

Egypt’s authorities want to crack down on mahraganat

As they navigate the narrow streets of Cairo, tuk-tuk drivers blast mahraganat from their speakers. The music’s sound is distinctive: the Egyptian ri’ (tambourine) and tabla (drum) are combined with ...