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.
MUSIC
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.
Cali to Pali
Konstancy’s City of Angels Is a Corridor You Can Ride Through
A night drive between Los Angeles and Jerusalem, City of Angels finds Konstancy turning distance into restrained, lived-in hip-hop.
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 Rolling Stone Interview
Issam Alnajjar Is Ready for You to Re-Discover Him
Issam Alnajjar holds nothing back ahead of his sophomore album A Night In Cairo, from early virality pressures to the world he’s building.
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.
Not Very Distinct
The Franchising Curse Haunts Dystinct’s ‘Ta3al’
Why Dystinct’s “Ta3al” feels like franchising a hit instead of pushing forward – and how pop keeps forgetting the power of scarcity.
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.
Right Wing Olympics
Ghali Under Fire Ahead of Winter Olympics Over Pro-Palestine Stance
Italian rapper Ghali faces backlash ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics over his outspoken pro-Palestine stance.
