On ‘Kol 7aga Ok,’ Double Zuksh Trace Mahraganat’s Evolving Sound

Kol 7aga Ok, the debut full-length from dynamic Mahraganat duo Double Zuksh, lands at a pivotal moment for the genre. As more Mahraganat artists finally receive proper label support, full albums are becoming increasingly common – a shift nearly two decades in the making after an era dominated by singles. The release also arrives as the genre itself matures, branching out into hybrids and stylistic experiments.

Double Zuksh lean fully into that spirit of exploration. Across the record, they move fluidly between the funky pop bounce of the title track “Kol 7aga Ok,” to the eerie, horror-rap detour of “Morphine,” and the shaabi-R&B fusion “El Balad,” featuring Shobra El General.

Another standout from the ten-track album is “Basha,” a hard-hitting collaboration with rapper FL EX that dives into the gritty, rap-driven Mahraganat variation popularized by artists like Ziad Zaza – now a staple of Egypt’s rap landscape.

Formed in 2019, Ahmed Zaki (aka Zuksh) and Ahmed Abdelnasser (aka Young Zuksh) quickly established themselves as one of the scene’s most recognizable duos. Early hits like “Tayarat” (featuring 3enba) and “Forsa” (with Marwan Moussa and Eldab3) cemented their reputation for infectious, high-energy tracks. In 2021, they broke into the global mainstream with “El Melouk,” a collaboration with Ahmed Saad and 3enba that appeared on the soundtrack for Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight (Season 1), directed by acclaimed Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab.