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Curated by Dyler, El Bebo and Mo Ed, the compilation spotlights several Emirati hip-hop artists.
“What makes the mind produce a lyrical river of self-evident truth?” That’s how RAPDXB’s VA compilation album begins, with a narrative introduction from Big Hass, an Arab hip-hop pioneer who has been working with Local rappers make ciphers and compilations. However, for RapDXB, the collection was curated by Dyler, El Bebo and Mo Ed to highlight UAE hip hop artists.
Using a mix of Arabic and English, follow-up track “IDK” opens with a moody melody followed by rapidly deployed bass drops and beats, giving the rapper an open canvas to express their rhythms. There is a call to action between Sudanese rapper Mo Ed and UAE’s Gmakkonen, whose exchanges add color to the melody and depth to the song’s underlying beat.
On “Touchdown DXB,” the curatorial trio Dyler, El Bebo, and Mo Ed join forces for, quite literally, a touchdown on one of the album’s best tracks. Fueled by energetic Afro-inspired beats, soft mallets and playful melodic lines, the rappers unite their respective styles, drawing inspiration from Saudi, Sudanese and Egyptian hip-hop.
By the time we get to “Maktoob Aleena,” the album starts to struggle, with more atmospheric production giving Algerian rapper Yanis room to drop melodic verses that stray slightly from traditional rap syncopation.
El Brown’s “120 Down the SZR,” on two tracks off the album, changes the all-Brit line, giving it a drilled feel with heavy British accents, impeccable flow, and eerie instrumentation. Feel.
On “Mozitora,” written by the Emirati/Yemeni rapper of the same name, we enter a high-energy production with perhaps one of the best basslines on the album. As one of the younger songs on the album, Mozitora’s beats still have a long way to go, but he has a keen ability to change the tempo of the rhyme and keep the song alive.
“Farafer” takes a different sonic direction than many other tracks, with a long synth-driven intro and the instrumental minimalism of Syrian rapper UglyMoss jumping on the beat. According to the album’s cover note, the track was first played live during the “Break the Block” concert series, with the artist describing his style as “melodic frenzy”.
The album culminates and ends with another fiery beat prepared by El Brown, joined by Imran Lukey from Iran. With a “Pop Smoke” vibe, the track is closer to the roar of drill and El Brown, allowing the album to close on a higher note than some of its predecessors.
Listen to RAPDXB here:
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