Rolling Stone MENA - Music, Film, TV and Political News Coverage

Camps & Keyboards

Camps & Keyboards: Ratchopper Is Co-Producing Arab Pop’s Future

Inside producer Ratchopper’s process, from writing camps to arranger keyboards, and the sound shaping Arab pop today.

sound politics

Heba Kadry Hears Dead Frequencies: On Curating Sounds and Amplifying Voices

Mastering engineer Heba Kadry on listening to noise, curating sound, and amplifying voices across music, cities, and politics.

By Yasmin Alrabiei

Calm Before Storm

A Cornerstone of Arab Alternative: Houdou Nisbi by Ziad Rahbani Revisited

How Ziad Rahbani’s Houdou Nisbi blended jazz, satire, and Lebanese reality to lay the groundwork for Arab indie and alternative music.

By Ahmed Amin

Palestinian Princesshood

Amira Jazeera and The Politics of Just Making Pop

A self-proclaimed Pop Princess, Amira Jazeera places Palestine at the center of her life – though not necessarily her music.

By Adam Makary

Tehrangeles Revisited

Neon Echoes in Exile: How Iran’s Diaspora Pop Thrived in Tehrangeles

Tehrangeles Vice traces how exiled Iranian musicians in 1980s LA transformed nostalgia, loss, and freedom into lasting pop culture.

By Steven Barrow Barlow

Bar-by-Bar Breakdown

‘Youmi’ Dissected: A Breakdown of A West Bank Groundhog Day

By Othman Shahin

MDLBEAST Architect

MDLBEAST’s Ramadan Alharatani Is Redefining Saudi Music Culture

By Sydney Miranda

MUSIC

Built from the Ashes: How Hell Comes Home Is Turning Pain into Power

Heavy metal has long served as an outlet for unrest—a place where intensity, conflict, and emotion are shaped into sound.…

By Chris Gallagher

A still from Saad Elsoghayar’s performance of “Bahebak Ya Hmar” in Alayya el Tarab Biltalata (restored)

Donkey > Habibi

Donkey Pop And The Labor of Listening

Salma Mousa takes aim at Donkey Pop, the latest trend of music meme-ification collapsing socio-cultural context into absentminded catchphrases.

By Salma Mousa

Spotify MENAP's Mulouk El Scene event in Cairo, Egypt, 2022 (photo credit: Campaign ME)

Spotify Unwrapped

Spotify Unwrapped: On The Search for A Better Streaming Deal in MENA

As streaming becomes a catch-all for industry woes, Spotify MENAP looks for better terms with Arab artists on visibility, royalties, and AI.

By Peter Holslin

Gorillaz's Damascus featuring ft. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey, out now.

Damascus Revisited

Gorillaz’s ‘Damascus’ Ventures in Syrian Shaabi Rough Terrains

Gorillaz venture into Levantine shaabi with Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey on ‘Damascus,’ meeting Syrian music on its own terms.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

The late columnist at Al Ayyam newspaper, Hassan Al Battal

In Bad Taste

Why Column? Why Opinion? Why Bite?

Why cultural writing lost its bite, and why criticism with teeth still matters. Introducing Rolling Stone MENA’s new column: In Bad Taste.

By Salma Mousa

Post-Ceasefire Fire

Yasser Abu Shabab, Gaza Militia Leader Accused of Aid Looting, Killed

Israeli-backed militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab, accused of looting aid in Gaza, is reportedly killed in Rafah amid post-ceasefire clashes.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Nation Defining Trial

Post-Assad Syria’s Most Crucial Trial Isn’t About Assad’s Crimes

Trials begin in Syria over sectarian and state violence, raising questions about transitional justice and the country’s fragile transition.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Miss Muammar, winner of the Global Creative Women Award (GCWA) 2021, teaches her students at UNRWA Fukhari Elementary Girls school in Gaza / 2022 UNRWA Photo

Women At The Table

Trump’s Gaza Plan Mustn’t Follow His Record on Women’s Rights

Trump’s 20-points Gaza peace plan shouldn’t repeat his domestic failures on women’s health, education, and rights.

By Dr. Felicity Gerry

Saleh Aljafarawi was killed by an armed gang in Gaza city

False Peace

Saleh Aljafarawi’s Killing Shows Ceasefire Isn’t The End

The killing of Saleh Aljafarawi exposes the fragility of Gaza’s ceasefire.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Palestinians celebrate announcement of peace plan agreement in Khan Younis in southern Gaza in this screengrab obtained from a video.

Historic Moment

Early Celebrations as Trump Announces Agreement to First Phase of Gaza Deal

Gazans are hopeful that Trump’s announcement will mark the end of two years and two days of the gruesome war.

By Rolling Stone Staff

A still from Palestine 36, directed by Annemarie Jacir - one of four Arab films short listed this year.

Oscar Season

Arab Films Are Reaching The Oscars, But The Industry Is Still Lagging

Four Arab films make the Oscars shortlist this year, marking a historic moment for an Arab cinema still struggling for sovereignty.

By Ahmed Amin

GFF Examined

The Screens Behind Smoke Screens at El Gouna Film Festival

What lies behind the polarized coverage of El Gouna Film Festival, beyond red carpet glamour and class critique?

By Ammar Manla Hasan

Zeitgeist Forecaster

15 Years Later, ‘Microphone’ Still Finds Its Voice in Egypt’s Youth

In 2010, Microphone foresaw Egypt’s revolution and a decade of cultural and social change. Is its prophecy still resonant today?

By Ahmed Amin

Very Small Dreams - From Ground Zero screening at El Gouna Film Festival

GFF Coverage

A Window That Refuses to Close: Window on Palestine at GFF

Window on Palestine returns for its third edition at El Gouna Film Festival – a bold act of cinematic and cultural grounding.

By Maram Khenissi

Samra's Dollhouse by Tunisian filmmaker Maïssa Lihedheb is nominated at El Gouna Film Festival

GFF COVERAGE

‘Samra’s Dollhouse’ Blurs Love, Control, and Performance At GFF

Tunisian filmmaker Maïssa Lihedheb’s ‘Samra’s Dollhouse’ redefines power, desire, and the female gaze at GFF.

By Maram Khenissi

Beyond The Field

GVP Co-Hosts Davos Panel on GCC’s Influence in Sports

GVP, publisher of Rolling Stone MENA, co-hosts a Davos panel that examines the Gulf’s growing role in shaping global sport.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Art Deco Reclaimed

Traveling Lotus and Stolen Faience: Egypt’s Art Deco Legacy

Wizara’s Adham Hafez explores Egypt Art Deco, a new project tracing the design movement’s roots in Egyptian history.

By Adham Hafez

Creators on Trail

Egyptian Creator Suzy Sentenced to One Year in Jail Over ‘Inappropriacy’

One of the Arab world’s most influential creators, Suzy faces a one-year prison sentence in her second trial.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

The First Rolling Stone Rooftop and the Rebirth of Georgia’s Cultural Story

“Guests are a gift from God.” On my fifth night at the Tsinandali Estate, Elene Machavariani, the estate’s COO, offered…

By Josh Wilson

POLITICS

Sinéad O’Connor and the Weaponization of Hunger: What if she Sang for Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan?

If Sinéad O’Connor were around today, watching the children of Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan starve, her outrage would be incandescent.…

By Dr. Felicity Gerry

TECH

Cadiz Inc. Maps a Practical Path to Southwest Water Security

If you ask Cadiz Inc. what progress looks like, they point to pipes, permits, and people served. The company’s work…

By Chris Gallagher

Democratizing Longevity

Democratized Longevity? UK Startup Bien-Être Tests It in the UAE

UK startup Bien-Être enters the UAE, testing whether longevity tech can become everyday health rather than a luxury for the wealthy.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

TECH

CoinTerminal Shows Transparency Can Be Rewarding with Its $10,000 Monthly Prize

Crypto has never been short on opportunity, but it has often lacked trust. CoinTerminal’s $10,000 monthly prize aims to change…

By Anthony Burr

MUSIC

GPM Music Group: A Fresh Take on Music Marketing For Independent Artists

In the evolving landscape of music promotion in the digital age, independent artists often face a familiar dilemma: how to…

By Chris Gallagher

Fitness

Sound, Sweat, and Strategy: The Culture Collision Fueling the Future of Wellness

There’s a new rhythm pulsing through the world of wellness—one where athletes and musicians move in sync, powered by innovation,…

By Chris Gallagher

Lifestyle

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