Opening Cairokee's concert, scheduled for 23 August, will be a significant milestone for TUL8TE (pronounced too late), a musician whose undisclosed identity raises the eyebrows of his devoted followers, making him a trend on social media, particularly TikTok.

He has also reached the number 1 position of most-listened-to artists on Spotify across the Arab world.

His songs Habiby Leh, Layalina, and Ma Teegy Aady Aleky have recorded more than four million streams on Spotify, while other hits crossed 1.5 million.

The musician oscillates between hip-hop, electronic sounds, and light pop, hiding his real identity.

The masked rapper has already performed at Cairo Jazz Club on 29 June, alongside artist Bayou.

He also made guest appearances at concerts by various rappers, including Muhab and Lege-Cy.

Skyrocketing popularity
 

TUL8TE's popularity is growing by the day. In a very short time, his Instagram account has amassed more than 200,000 followers; his TikTok account has nearly 500,000 followers. The numbers increase on an hourly basis.

His presence in the music field does not seem long. He started in 2022 by dropping four singles. Then, he released his five-track EP Maghool in 2023.

The breakthrough of the man behind the crocheted balaclava came with Layalina, a song in his Tesh Shebab album, released in February 2024.

Layalina garnered more than 2.6 million views on YouTube so far and is trending on the music platform, currently at number 17 for music videos. 

Tesh Shabab features a total of 10 songs, with each steadily gaining popularity.

TUL8TE received even bigger recognition with his most recent album Cocktail Ghena’y (The Song Cocktail), released in July 2024.

The album’s most successful hit so far is Habiby Leh, a song that garnered 4.3 million views on YouTube, unprecedentedly boosting fame.

Habiby Leh is trending at number 22, with its music video reminiscent of the iconic style of Amr Diab from the 1992 film Ice Cream Fe Gleem. 

This resemblance of visual content prompted his fans to assume that the mysterious musician might be Diab's son. This claim was swiftly debunked by other social media users trying to analyse Tul8te's body structure.

Who is the masked artist?
 

Many social media users and followers of TUL8TE continue to ask about the identity of the newly emerging phenomenon behind the mask.

Even some Egyptian celebrities joined the crowd curious to find answers.

Singer Ahmed Saad created a video questioning young rapper Muhab about whether he is TUL8TE. 

The pop singer Sandy joked while sharing a picture of herself wearing a mask with the caption: “It's never TUL8TE.”

The motive of masked artists
 

TUL8TE is the first Egyptian artist to mask his face, garnering such huge popularity in a very short time.

To date, he has not appeared in any interview to explain the reasons behind covering his face.

The phenomenon of artists choosing to conceal their identity from the public eye has been prevalent in the international scene.

The Australian singer-songwriter Sia is a prominent example of an artist who covered their face for an extended period before eventually revealing it.

During some interviews, she claimed it allows her to maintain some privacy.

The French electronic music duo Daft Punk also appeared masked. They explained that they never wanted to be the centre of attention, emphasizing their intention for their music to speak for itself, the media reported.

In 2017, the American music producer and DJ Marshmello took to Twitter (currently X) to explain why he wears a mask. “I don't take my helmet off because I don't want or need fame. I'm genuinely trying to create something positive for people to connect with,” he said.

Cairokee in Alamein
 

TUL8TE will appear during the Cairokee’s concert on Friday 23 August at Alamein. The concert is part of the ongoing second New Alamein Festival. Check the programme here. 

Founded in 2003, the band's lineup included lead vocalist Amir Eid, guitarist Sherif El-Hawary, drummer Tamer Hashem, and bassist Adam El-Alfy.

The original lineup was joined by Sherif Mostafa on keyboard in 2008.

The band's breakthrough came during the Egyptian revolution in 2011 when they released a hit single Sowt El-Horreya (The Voice of Freedom), followed by Ya El-Midan (Oh, the Square) featuring singer Aida El-Ayoubi.

The band has released several studio albums, including Matloob Zaeem (2011), Wana Maa Nafsy Aad (2012), El-Sekka Shemal (2014), Nas w Nas (2015), Noaata Beida (2017), and The Ugly Ducklings (2019).

Their Roma album (2022) featured the famous young rapper Marwan Pablo.