Deeb | The Cold Peace

 
Listen to "موعود" 

 
Listen to "السلام البارد"

Get it all here.

I really want to write about the extraordinary performance I saw last night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) by four hip-hop artists from north Africa and the Middle East: Amkoullel (Mali), El General (Tunisia), Shadia Mansour (UK, Palestine) and Deeb (Egypt), whose 2012 album The Cold Peace I picked up at a panel discussion by the artists two days before the event.

Unfortunately, I'm sort of under the gun to put the lid on two pieces I was commissioned to write, like, months ago, but have been unable finish for a number of reasons, not least of which being my generally diminishing interest in the subjects (season 3 of Breaking Bad and a book of essays on mostly American popular music, if you must know).

Other than that brief moment above, I'm not going to sit here and gripe about the lack of paying venues for writing on the subjects that genuinely matter to me and will, instead, offer you this insanely delicious album by a man at the forefront of Egypt's burgeoning rap + hip-hop scene. And point you to an interview with him, here.