Home to a diverse range of music scenes, the Middle East is brimming with a symphony of sounds, the stylistic variety of which bears witness to its vibrant creativity. Contemporary music from the region weaves a rich tapestry of genres, styles and sounds that traverse boundaries and borders. To showcase this breadth and diversity, we’re inviting artists from across the region to curate a playlist of what and who they’re listening to. In the first of the ‘YUNG Selects’ series, Big Murk takes us into one of the region’s musical subcultures with a well-rounded selection of his favorite sounds.
Big Murk is a Palestinian producer and drummer based in Amman and who dabbles in grime and other hip-hop subgenres. Big Murk reimagines the British rap genre with his own distinct style of beat-making, one characterized by heavy swinging drums, futuristic instrumentals and sloppy, yet calculated basslines.
He has a handful of heavyweight collaborations under his belt but stays true to his underground roots, carving out a unique space in the scene by working with artists of all different backgrounds and sounds. Despite the obstacles of living in a region with few opportunities to produce contemporary music, Murk has managed to become something of a local legend with his fingers on the pulse of this incredible scene.
El Ana 3leah by Twisted
Jordan
https://soundcloud.com/twisted_nvm/elana3leahksmk?si=6f9eb06bc812485fa7718dc70baa20d9&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing“Twisted is from the new generation, like me, in Jordan. He’s got his own style and I think the track is a banger.”
Fashal Strateeji by Logical Da9ud ft. Mrf13
Egypt & Palestine
https://soundcloud.com/logical_da9ud/efkzuol3izan“This one is Logical Da9ud featuring Mrf13, also known as Ruuq. This one is a style I really like. It’s very light, like the beat is light. It’s mainly just a sample you know, that Lo-Fi, cool stuff. And we need more of this genre in Arabic.”
Mamzoo3 by Abul3ees
Palestine
“This one is by Abul3ees, who I consider to be lyrically, maybe, the best. The best from the rappers that I know in Arabic. He’s maybe lyrically the best in terms of line by line. The beat is crazy. I don’t know where he got that beat from. He’s got his own attitude, you know, it’s different from what you usually expect from a rapper. He’s got a more unassuming and self-assured vibe and [is] just lyrically so crazy.”
Juwway by Julmud
Palestine
“Julmud is maybe the top of the game when it comes to instrumental production. He put his album out last year and it’s a masterpiece of some sort. He sampled Elissa and is like on some chilled out jungle, emotional, emo jungle, but slow.”
Heel bi Finjani by Malkom (prod. 9’l9’)
Palestine
“Malkom is on some real gangster s****. His style is like proper old-school hip-hop. Which is poppin’ now.”
amlaa7 by rknddn (prod. Jurum)
Palestine
“This is one of the rknddn’s more emotional tracks. A lot of people know that rknddn is my best friend and the person I make music with the most. He’s a king. It’s a more vulnerable track with self-reflection. He’s talking about putting salt on the wound and not being able to quench your thirst.”
Dir ftees by Haykal (prod. Julmud)
Palestine
“This is a very old track from about eight years ago. This is some OG Saleb Wahed. It was a collective of musicians in Ramallah. It was legendary. It influenced a lot of what you hear in the region today, including myself. Haykal is a legend. He’s unique. He a real skill in telling story. He’s got mad flow and is very creative.”
Bsm Allah by Shbash (prod. Ssandkidd)
Jordan
“Shbash is one of the freshest guys, period. He’s from Amman, like me. This is from his newest EP. He’s good at singing melodies. He knows how to make catchy hooks. The type of music you would sing along to with your friends in a car. It’s real trap and his signature sound is his auto tuned voice.”
Fi by Mehrak (prod. Wardenclyph)
Palestine
“This is an interesting beat, 808s all over the place. Mehrak has this raspy voice that’s really unique to him. He puts a lot of soul into his music. When he records, you can really hear everything. You can feel his energies, all unfiltered in a way. He’s one of the deepest. He talks about his own life quite a lot. He talks about being a refugee coming from Yarmouk. Proper top guy. The flow is hard to put in a box.”
7aratji by Hajzlon
Palestine
“Hajzlon is one of the OG Ramallah boss rappers and the track has crazy flows that most rappers can’t even do. It’s really difficult, the fast flows. They’re not like in an Eminem way but in a nice way. Also, the beat is crazy. It uses a popular sample ‘Mac DeMarco – Chamber of Reflection’, I think everyone knows it.”
Listen to the album, here.
Check out more of our music coverage from across the Middle East.
