The project, created in collaboration with music arranger Ahmed Gelba, will premiere in a dual-format release that merges cinema screening with public space performance.
At Zawya Cinema on Sunday and Monday, 24 and 25 May, Moussa presents Watha’iqi (Documentary), a hybrid screening that combines a new rap track with footage from its production, tracing its development from early sessions in Ismailia to a finished musical work built inside what is referred to as Room 313.
The screenings are followed by a public open-air show in Ismailia on Tuesday, 26 May, in the Seventh District “Sabaa”.
Rather than functioning as a traditional song release, Watha’iqi is designed as a hybrid experience that unfolds across film, music, and lived urban space.
The concept positions the track as a “musical document” that reveals its own making in real time, allowing audiences to witness both the artistic process and its final form simultaneously in different locations.
The project reflects Marwan Moussa’s ongoing artistic trajectory of expanding Egyptian rap beyond its conventional boundaries, as he positions himself as an artist experimenting beyond trends, fusing rap with mahraganat, classical Arabic music, and traditional Egyptian instrumentation.
Moussa builds Watha’iqi not as a song accompanied by visuals, but as a unified audiovisual structure. Previous works, such as the video for the song Tesla, already signaled this direction through strong cinematic aesthetics.
The new project is also rooted in extensive fieldwork in Ismailia, where Moussa and his collaborator spent time engaging with the city’s everyday life. These experiences are embedded into the work’s narrative structure, which moves between enclosed, atmospheric spaces and open urban environments.
Musically, the project draws on Egyptian heritage, incorporating references to composers such as Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Omar Khorshid, blending their classical soundscapes with contemporary rap delivery. The result is presented as a dialogue between past and present, rather than a collision between genres.
Ultimately, “Watha’iqi” positions itself as more than a song or film—it is an attempt to redefine how Egyptian rap can be experienced, transforming it into a shared cultural event across cinema screens and city streets simultaneously.
Marwan Moussa
One of the leading figures in the contemporary Egyptian rap scene, Moussa, 31, is known for blending trap, shaabi, and experimental Arabic sounds with strong cinematic influences shaped by his background in film studies in Italy.
His work includes popular tracks such as Tesla (one of his most-streamed songs and known for its cinematic music video), Sheraton, Kalamantina, Aloomek, and collaborations like Rajieen, a large-scale regional protest track which involved multiple Arab artists.
He has also released several full-length albums and gained wider recognition across the Arab world after winning two AFRIMA awards in 2022, including Best African Rapper/Lyricist.
He is frequently cited as a key innovator pushing Egyptian rap beyond traditional genre boundaries by fusing music, visual storytelling, and Egyptian cultural references into unified audiovisual projects.
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