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Al-Ahram Weekly

Marwan Moussa's latest album maps a journey through grief - Music - Arts & Culture

Egyptian rapper Marwan Moussa's new 23-track album, The Man That Lost His Heart, charts an intensely personal emotional journey in the wake of his mother's death. The album blends grief, vulnerability, and introspection with his signature sound, featuring collaborations with Afroto, Donia Wael, El Waili, Karim Osama, and Lege-Cy. Released on 5 May, the album quickly resonated with listeners. Tracks have already racked up between 80,000 and 800,000 views on YouTube, reflecting the project's raw emotional weight and creative ambition. But The Man That Lost His Heart isn't just a collection of songs—it's a conceptual work exploring heartbreak and healing through the framework of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Grief-stricken narrative Drawing deeply from personal experience, Moussa crafts lyrics that balance despair and reflection, stitching together moments of loss, regret, and revelation. Many tracks openly reference the grieving process—Sada2ny, Maro Mashakel, Tesh Shabab, Ba2es, Taqato3, Ro7 B Albak, Hena Sawad, Fawater El-3etab, Sam3aak, 3amel Eh?, and Es2al Mgarab all trace an arc from anguish to understanding. In Fawater El-3etab, he reflects on death and absence with the line: 'The soul that used to suffer in this life, in the afterlife, rested,' mourning the time he didn't spend with loved ones. Donia Wael, featured in Sam3aak, adds a spectral layer to the album. Her voice echoes in the outros of multiple tracks, offering gentle refrains like 'Try to remember'—small, intimate prompts for reflection. Her presence serves as a narrative compass through the album's emotional terrain. Moussa leans heavily on metaphor to convey psychological turbulence. 'Suddenly, my hopes were thrown into the fire, and fate destroyed them,' he raps in Fawater El-3etab. In Maro Mashakel, he adds: 'A bump and a bend, felt like I burned up, almost hit the ceiling.' His imagery—flames, crashes, weight—underscores the chaos of grief and its physical toll. 'My pockets are filled with grief,' he confesses on El-3nwan, summarizing the weight of mourning as a daily burden. Loss, betrayal, and self-awareness The album also offers sharp reflections on fame and identity. On Maro Mashakel, Moussa critiques the idolization that often comes with public life, urging fans not to hold him up as a role model. A moment of candid humility adds to the album's emotional complexity. On Ba2es, he interrogates the cruelty of life and the duplicity of people, reinforcing a recurring theme of betrayal. 3ala Fen?, a collaboration with Karim Osama, explores fractured trust, while Yammah, featuring Afroto and El Waili, pulses with longing and regret. 'I wish I could hold a button and change fate and undo everything that happened,' he laments. One of the album's softer moments comes in Kalemeny Belel, featuring Lege-Cy. Addressed to a woman, it introduces romantic vulnerability, a tonal shift in an otherwise grief-heavy work. Kalemeny Belel and 3ala Fen? have struck a chord with listeners, currently sitting at No. 13 and No. 25 on YouTube's Trending for Music in Egypt. The lead single, Bosakber, released on 21 April, stands apart from the rest of the album thematically and sonically. Despite its more upbeat tone, it's been a runaway success, with over 2.5 million YouTube views. A rapper in his prime Now 30, Moussa broke through with Sheraton in 2020. His previous albums—Import-Export (2023), Bel Monasba (2020), and Florida (2021)—helped solidify his status as one of Egypt's most inventive hip-hop voices. Florida became one of the region's most streamed albums on Spotify, with 'Tesla' alone garnering over 38 million YouTube views. In 2022, he won Best African Rapper, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and Best Artist in African Hip-Hop at the All-African Music Awards. Known for blending modern hip-hop with Egyptian mahraganat and shaabi influences, Moussa continues to push genre boundaries while exploring personal and cultural storytelling. He will perform on 23 May at Cairo Festival City Mall alongside fellow rapper Marwan Pablo in a much-anticipated show titled Project Meem. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link: