Issam Harris (born 22 May 1993), known by his stage name Issam (), is a
Moroccan rapper, songwriter and
trap artist. He was born in
Derb Sultan
Derb Sultan (Arabic: درب السلطان) is one of the largest and oldest neighborhoods in Casablanca. It is part of the prefecture of district Al Fida-Mers Sultan. It is known for being one of the cradles of colonial resistance against the ...
,
Casablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
and became known in 2018 with his song and music video, "Trap Beldi". This track allowed him to gain popularity being one of the first Moroccan trap songs to reach over 10 million views on YouTube.
What is particular of Issam's music is the blending of
autotune
Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997, by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and correct pitch in music. It operates on different principles from the vocoder ...
d vocals delivered in
Darija, and classic
TR 808-generated beats with elements from traditional North African music. Many of Issam's works are influenced by
raï
Raï (, ; , , ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called () or (), i.e. 'young', as opposed to (, 'shaykh'), i.e. 'old', the name given to Chaabi singers. The tradi ...
—specifically by
Cheb Hasni
Cheb Hasni (Arabic: الشاب حسني), born Hasni Chakroun (Arabic: حسني شقرون), (1 February 1968 – 29 September 1994), was an Algerian raï singer. Regarded as "The King of Sentimental Music","le rossignol du raï", his contributi ...
.
In May 2019, Issam signed a contract with
Universal Music France
Universal Music Group (UMG) owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here.
According to the UMG official website, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Gra ...
, in what was considered the biggest ever deal for North African hip-hop.
His debut album "''Crystal''" has officially been released on May 6 2021.
Discography
Singles
* 2016: "Taba Taba"
*2017: "Rolex"
* 2017: "Hasni"
* 2018: "Bavra"
* 2018: "Caviar"
*:The “Caviar” video was originally planned to be partially shot in Paris, but Issam's visa application was denied by the French government. The track and its video showcase an increasingly globalized scene in which Arab artists nonetheless remain peripheral participants, due in part to the significant political difficulties in bypassing borders and enjoying the freedom of movement granted to Western performers.
* 2018: "Trap Beldi"
* 2019: "Makinch Zhar"
* 2020: "Nike"
* 2020: "Power Rangers"
*:Which marks the artist's first collaboration with the Casablanca-based drill rapper, Dollypran.
* 2021: "Wra Tabi3a"
* 2021: "Hendrix"
* 2022: "Phantom"
* 2022: "YA HASRA"
Albums
* "Crystal" (Released May 2021)
See also
*
Moroccan hip hop
Moroccan rap music is a Moroccan musical style related to rap and hip hop culture. The emergence and evolution of rap music in Morocco represent a significant chapter in the country's contemporary cultural history. While influenced by global hi ...
*
Music of Morocco
Moroccan music varies greatly between geographic regions and social groups. It is influenced by musical styles including Arabic music, Arab, Berber music, Berber, Andalusian classical music, Andalusi, History of the Mediterranean region, Mediterr ...
References
{{Authority control
Living people
1993 births
Moroccan male rappers