No matter what you want to achieve in music, fans make it possible. In the past three years, Egyptian music has entered an entirely new era, with local rappers rising to the top. Thanks to a community of avid and loyal fans, rap has morphed from an underground scene to a culture that now represents the sound of the youth – a more free-form format that allows rappers to express themselves. 

To celebrate the growing popularity of Egyptian rap and its fandom, Spotify has launched a new marketing campaign and visual identity for its playlist Melouk El Scene (“Rap Royalty”). With over a 620% increase in its streams since its launch, Melouk El Scene is now Egypt’s most popular rap playlist on Spotify, becoming the place for fans to discover the hottest names in rap. 

 

With self-expression at the heart of Egyptian rap, Spotify put together a campaign that speaks the language of the rap scene and its fans.  

Handing the mic to fan communities 

Spotify teamed with hip hop community pages, Hip Hop Scene and Rap Scene, to enrich the excitement of ardent hip hop fans ahead of the campaign’s launch. Hip hop community pages featured exclusive Spotify content related to the playlist’s theme as part of the teasing phase. 

Following that, Spotify revealed Melouk El Scene’s new look with a series of satirical videos featuring rap stars Afroto and Marwan Moussa in partnership with Egypt’s wildly popular Nesr El Scene – a mini-mockumentary produced by Schema Studios that became a viral hit with its subtle sense of humour and ironic take on Egyptian rap. The partnership with Nesr El Scene is an ode to a generation on the lookout for authentic content, which Generation Z finds in rap lyrics and the stories their favourite rappers tell in their music. 

While rap songs are loved and sought after, only devoted fans truly comprehend their message. With Melouk El Scene, the epicentre for Egyptian rap on Spotify, fans have what they need to keep up with the genre’s hottest movers and shakers. 

Deepening the connection between artists and their fans with Spotify Clips 

Additionally, for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, Spotify launched Spotify Clips, enabling artists to share stories about their music and other experiences with their fans, ultimately connecting artists with their fans in a deeper way. Dareen, Abo El Anwar, Perrie, Afroto, Marwan Moussa and more are just some of the names fans can get up close and personal with. 

The multifaceted campaign also features an educational layer that uses light-hearted short videos to explain key Spotify features such as Connect, Sharing, Lyrics and Data Saver. In addition, the campaign leverages social media, online video media and OOH to highlight the most influential names in rap driving the hip hop scene in Egypt today. 

Commenting on the Melouk El Scene campaign, Lynn Fattouh, Spotify’s Marketing Manager for Egypt, said, “We always strive to connect artists and fans in new and innovative ways. With a genre like Egyptian rap, where fans have taken it to a whole new level over a short period of time, we had to create a concept that was a tribute to those fans, something they could relate to and identify with.” 

“By partnering with rap communities and Schema Studios, we celebrated artists through the eyes of their fans. And we’re excited to bring Spotify Clips to Melouk El Scene; artists can now share intimate moments with their fans and bring their art to life, ultimately connecting with them more deeply and meaningfully.” 

To access the campaign’s creative assets, click here.