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

Textbook Pop

Saint Levant’s “Afandi” Closes Arab Pop’s Generation Gap

On Afandi, Saint Levant blends Arab pop’s past and present into a cohesive, hit-driven record that revisits without imitation.

By Ahmed Amin

Exclusive

Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Onstage ‘Free Palestine’ Statements

“We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup,” promoter says.

By Jon Blistein

Conveniently Active

Examining the Music Industry’s Pro-Palestine Stance

Salma Awad examines the music industry’s shifting stance on Gaza, and the line between genuine solidarity and performative support.

By Salma Awad

La Casa De Mahraganat

How New-School Mahraganat Pulled Off the Great Streaming Heist

Youssef Ali examines how mahraganat’s relentless output is reshaping streaming charts and challenging Arab pop’s dominance.

By Youssef Ali

Sound of Disillusionment

No Arab Album This Century Has Told the Truth Like Mashrou’ Leila’s Raasuk

Revisiting Mashrou’ Leila’s Raasuk, the 2013 indie landmark that captured the anger and disillusionment of a post-Arab Spring generation.

By Ahmed Amin

Mapping Farasha

Inez’s Farasha Is and Isn’t a Passport Album

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Inglorious Screens

Inglorious Screens: Digital Culture Is Sara Sadik’s Mother Tongue

By Arnaud Pessey

(Sub)Culture

Dubai’s Gold Infrastructure Is Evolving

The UAE has spent decades investing in infrastructure designed to expand its role in global trade. The region, and Dubai…

By Chris Gallagher

Al7amdan Brings Country Into the World of Sheila on ‘Hawajees’

Open Country

Al7amdan Brings Country Music Into the World of Sheila on ‘Hawajees’

Saudi singer and producer Al7amdan brings country music into the world of Sheila on the dreamy, meditative new single “Hawajees.”

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Universal Language

LIL MILE Is Building a World Without Borders Through Love Language

Italian artist and two-time GRAMMY nominee LIL MILE brings together an international cast of collaborators on Love Language.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Music & Wellness

GRAMMY-Nominated Artist Chris Redding Created an Album to Connect With His Nonverbal Son – Now He’s Redefining Music’s Role in Wellness

GRAMMY-nominated Chris Redding expands his work at the intersection of music, sensory wellness and connection with his album Unspoken Psalms.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

(Sub)Culture

CredibilityX Wins Two Dubai Agency Awards as Sashin Govender Builds the Future of Branding and Marketing in Dubai

After winning Best Business Marketing Agency 2026 and Best Real Estate Media Agency 2026 in the same week, CredibilityX is…

By Josh Wilson

Share the Load

Palestinians Forgive +$20M in Debt in Grassroots Solidarity Campaign

Palestinians are forgiving millions in debt as a grassroots solidarity campaign spreads across the West Bank and Gaza.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

POLITICS

How a Russian war-machine supplier has tried to turn Western justice on the composer who made it rich

The story plays out like a John Grisham novel or a Steven Soderbergh movie. A Russian conglomerate in the metal…

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Family Reunification

Abdi Declares the SDF Integration Into the Syrian State Complete

The SDF has completed its integration into Syria’s state institutions, a major step toward a unified Syria.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

The Waiting Sentence

The Waiting Sentence: Four Stories from the UK’s Asylum System

The UK asylum system keeps young people waiting for papers, work, school, and a future. These four refused to let waiting become their life.

By Yasmina Bitar

A Syrian Nuremberg

Bashar and Maher Al Assad Sentenced to Death in Absentia

Bashar and Maher Al Assad have been sentenced to death in absentia by a Damascus court for crimes committed under the Assad regime.

By Rolling Stone MENA Staff

Youtube to Netflix

AlKhalat+: Saudi Absurdist Comedy’s Journey from YouTube to Netflix

Over the past few years, a wave of Saudi absurdist comedy has been migrating from YouTube to streaming. AlKhalat+ is its latest dispatch.

By Youssef Ali

Youtube to Netflix

الخلاط+: آخر محطة في رحلة الكوميديا الغرائبية السعودية من يوتيوب إلى نتفلكس

خلال السنوات الأخيرة، بدأ تيّار من الكوميديا الغرائبية السعودية بمغادرة موطنه على يوتيوب باتجاه منصات البث، الخلاط+ آخر إصدارات هذا التيار.

By Youssef Ali

Too Dumb To Fail

Too Dumb to Fail: The Game and the TikTok-ification of Arab TV

The smartest move in Arab TV’s recent history was to go completely dumb. Five seasons in, The Game is still proving it right.

By Ammar Manla Hasan

Binge Therapy

Binge Therapy: 24 Titles to Stream in MENA This April

Rolling Stone MENA’s monthly streaming guide to the films, TV series, and documentaries available across platforms in the MENA region.

By Yasmina Bitar

Hustlers & High Ratings

Heroes, Hustlers, and High Ratings: The Mohamed Samy Era of Egyptian TV

A look back at fifteen years of Mohamed Samy’s directing during the most prolific production era in Egyptian television.

By Youssef Ali

(Sub)Culture

Victoria Unikel Was Cut Down to Two Seconds in a Matt Damon Movie. Two Decades Later She Owns 134 Newspapers

She never planned to run a media company. She started a PR firm, spent seven years scooping up magazines nobody…

By Ethan Stone

Mold of a Nation

As Small as Toys, as Large as a Nation’s Dreams: Jewad Selim Remembered

The daughters of Iraq’s pioneering sculptor Jewad Selim revisit his monuments, his archive, and the man they knew as Baba.

By Zainab Mehdi

Loving Rituals

In Memory of Sliman Mansour: Without Love, There Is No Belonging

Othman Shahin bids farewell to Sliman Mansour by revisiting the works that shaped how generations of Palestinians saw their homeland.

By Othman Shahin

Appropriately Appropriated

In Defense of Celebrities Wearing Ancient Iranian Symbols

From IShowSpeed to Johnny Depp, the farvahar keeps appearing in pop culture. Is it appropriation or appreciation?

By Joobin Bekhrad

(Sub)Culture

Musly Club connects Muslim founders, creatives, and cultural tastemakers worldwide

Forget, for a moment, everything you imagine when you think of a private members’ club, and meet Musly Club, the…

By Ethan Stone

TECH

How Kris Ress Developed His Approach to Technology and Entrepreneurship

Some of the most expensive lessons in technology come from being wrong. Others come from being right too early. Kris…

By Jenna Amy

TECH

The Future of AI in Business: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the Workplace

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it has become one of the most transformative technologies shaping the…

By Jenna Amy

TECH

The Story of Tag Markets: From a 2023 Launch to a Global Forex Brokerage

Every global company begins with a decision about what it believes the market has accepted for too long. For Tag…

By Jenna Amy

TECH

How an AI Startup Co-Founded by a Formula 1 Driver Hit $9M ARR in Just 8 Weeks

Jack Doohan has always been used to life in the fastest of lanes. Speed has been the factor that has…

By Anthony Burr

TECH

Live Auction Shopping is Pulling Online Buying Into Real Time

Timed bidding and limited windows are changing how purchases unfold Online shopping doesn’t always happen in a straight line anymore.…

By Ethan Stone

Lifestyle

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