Sherine Between The Lines
How Sherine Became The Voice of Egypt? A Linguistic Data Analysis
A close reading of Sherine’s lyrics – powered by linguistic data analysis – reveals how her music mirrors Egypt’s shifting realities.
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Mainstream? Ew!
We Need to Talk About Fans Entitlement
How an uneasy mix of fans’ judgment, apathy, and elitism comes together to haunt underground artists every time one of them makes it big.
In Bad Taste
The Self-Defeating Prophecy of Being an Iconic Cool Arab
In her latest column, Salma Mousa dismantles the myth of the “cool Arab” and its uneasy dependence on validation.
Mayer in Manama
Ahead of Bahrain: 6 Songs That Define John Mayer’s Live Ritual
From “Neon” to “Gravity,” six essentials that define John Mayer’s live evolution before his Bahrain debut.
The Making of a Legend
The Live Alchemy of John Mayer
Ahead of his Bahrain debut, Ahmed Amin revisits John Mayer’s iconic 2007 concert that cemented him as a guitar legend.
Unevenly Rich
Balad Beast Reviewed: The Place, The Sound, The Crowd
Ahmed Amin attends the two-day festival and reports on what works, what’s missing, and what sets Balad Beast apart from regional peers.
Bars Behind Bars
Bars Behind Bars: The Unspoken Rules Governing Tunisian Rap
Following the brief detention of rapper Kamara last year, the Tunisian rap scene is divided on what that detention means to their future.
Smells Like Gen Z Spirit
The Stealthy Revolution of Moroccan Grunge Rap
Lo-fi, raw, and defiant: how Moroccan grunge rap became a voice for a restless generation.
Rewired Heritage
The Limping Pulse: Decoding Istanbul’s Hybridized Electronic Scene
Bridging Europe and Asia, tradition and technology – meet the artists at the heart of Istanbul’s melting-pot electronic scene.
Cover Story
DJ Snake Moves by Appetite: On Algeria, Authenticity and the Future
DJ Snake speaks with Rolling Stone MENA about his latest album, Nomad, his Algerian heritage, and what’s next for him.
Cairo, Sampled
Loops & Mutations: El Kontessa on Sampling Cairo’s Chaos
One of the most influential producers and DJs in Cairo’s electronic scene, El Kontessa breaks down her production process step by step.
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.
