Issam Harris (born 22 May 1993), known by his stage name Issam ( ar, عصام), is a Moroccan rapper, songwriter and

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

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 F ...

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

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 (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d vocals delivered in

Darija Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Alge ...

, and classic TR 808-generated beats with elements from traditional North African music. Many of Issam's works are influenced by

raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian traditional music, folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed ...

—specifically by

Cheb Hasni Cheb Hasni ( ar, الشاب حسني), born Hasni Chakroun ( ar, حسني شقرون), (1 February 1968 – 29 September 1994), was an Algerian raï singer. He was popular across the Maghreb, having reached the height of his career in the late 1 ...

. In May 2019, Issam signed a contract with

Universal Music France Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

, 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)

References

{{Authority control Living people 1993 births Moroccan rappers