Rap Shar3: The platform bringing SWANA street rap to the forefront

Rap Shar3 is the music collective and platform that’s bringing us Arab hip-hop and rap fresh from the ground up. Founded by BlackB, a ciphered custodian of fresh-faced talent, Rap Shar3 is championing a new movement in the SWANA region centred on ‘the people’s poetics,’ in activist legend Amiri Baraka’s words. So far, the collective has explored the local hip-hop scene in Egypt—where the platform was founded—Sudan, Palestine, Saudi, and Libya, with episodes bringing us all that’s often left unseen: insane talent, unseen cultures, and the political consciousness that feeds it all on the ground. Dazed MENA unpacked the collective’s roots, wins, and brewing ambitions with their host and founder, Black B.

Standing as a masked, hype-man nucleus in the crowd of every episode, BlackB is the incognito glue of Rap Shar3. He’s Egyptian, 25 years old, and a musician himself. It’s his keen eyes and ears that kickstarted the collective in 2021 alongside co-owner and director Omar Mado. It began in Alexandria, where the two encouraged their artist friends to link up at a specific spot, make music, and film stories in the process. In no time, the spot turned into a hotbed for talent, brimming with electric potential, poised for recognition.  “I was inspired to start as I felt there were talented people within my community in Egypt, but a lot of attention went to the wrong things like clout-chasing and trend-following,” BlackB tells Dazed MENA, explaining that this is about grassroots storytelling. “I wanted to help people who had talent and deserved it show their expression, and that’s what got me to start filming.”

With Egypt’s rap scene dwindling in support and lacking investments, BlackB set out to do what he could to make this talent known. Here, grit is the only currency and rawness is respected above all else. From these organic street videos alone—and with the eventual help of videographer Abdo Raw and business manager Mostafa Fahmy—Rap Shar3 has since amassed almost 550,000 followers on Instagram, garnering eyes from all corners. “I want to show the world that you don’t have to have it all to make it in this industry,” BlackB contends. “You don’t need the fancy clothes, the expensive studio sessions, or all the material things to make it; there are so many talented rappers out there that are gritty and put in so much work in their expression, and I want to be a part of highlighting that.”

Black B’s inspiration was born from his own ‘Shar3,’ where watching his community strive for greatness fueled his ambitions for the project. “The neighbourhood ‘Shar3’ that I live in helps fuel me,” BlackB shares. “I want to see my people doing great things and that’s what keeps me going.” Today, Rap Shar3 has expanded into a regional phenomenon, with episodes dispersed all throughout the region, having just wrapped up in Libya and imminently moving on to Dubai, Jordan, and Morocco. “Getting to film in Libya this year was a defining moment because I was able to meet and work with so many talented artists there and I was so inspired by their resilience, hard work, and their sense of community,” BlackB shares with Dazed MENA. “I can’t wait to drop the next episodes and showcase their artistry, lyricism, talent, and culture.”

With social media serving as his sonic Silk Road, BlackB has stumbled upon and celebrated talent that speaks for itself through their content. Largely unknown musicians feature on his page, spitting the coldest lines with lyrical precision, delivering rap enthusiasts new sounds they didn’t know they needed. Rap Shar3 has cultivated a simmering breeding ground for artists to go viral, often earning them record deals: rappers DJ Mubarak, Ebn Tarek, and Wingii, to name a few, have trekked this path to recognition. 

The platform’s impact is especially pronounced in places rife with social and political injustice, amplifying shared struggles and mutual resilience. But BlackB envisions expanding into the West, hoping to feature Arab talent and perspectives in areas that rarely encounter them. “I’d love to reshape my practice by finding easier ways to travel and access different countries and help expand filming to other places in the world like the US and Europe,” the host voices. “More specifically, I would like to film a Palestine-focused episode in the States and Europe.” 

In addition to bridging regional and cultural divides in music, BlackB aims to unify artists across different stages in their careers. Invariably on the hunt for talent despite such massive attention, Rap Shar3’s socials continue to scout emerging artists, inviting them to submit their work for potential features. “I want to find a way to close the gap between the mainstream rappers in the scene and the up-and-coming and find ways that they can work together to create more impactful projects,” the host imparts. “I’m hoping in the next few years we see artists collaborating more.”

Currently, the host is working on a project in Egypt centred on Mahraganat artists, spotlighting Egyptian electro music. With three episodes pre-filmed in Libya set to drop, along with an upcoming episode in Amman, Rap Shar3 is reminding us that it’s those in the streets, not the studios, that have the most to say.