Photography © Julien Piris
Photography © Julien Piris
"For us, it has become a mission to push Moroccan youth
to reach the end of their ambitions."
"For us, it has become a mission
to push Moroccan youth to
reach the end of their ambitions."
Who's hiding behind Shayfeen; those who are known for making Moroccan Rap known on the international scene? A Rap & A Cup Of Tea decided to meet these two talented rappers at the Belgian festival Les Ardentes in Liège. In a relaxed and chilled atmosphere, shortly before their concert, Small-X and Shobee, who met almost 13 years ago in the small coastal town of Safi in Morocco, have given themselves entirely in this interview.
Starting from nothing, with an almost non-existent music industry in Morocco and a difficult road to follow to make their passion their profession, the two talented rappers decided to take their destiny into their own hands, regardless of the weight of Maghrebian traditions and customs. It was with honesty that they told us about their social involvement with the Moroccan youth and their passion for Rap, which led them to feature with French Rap icons such as Lacrim, Dosseh, Laylow and recently, Lomepal.
How could you describe your unique style or contribution to Moroccan Rap to an English-speaking audience who's eager to discover you?
Shobee: Our most significant advantage in the Moroccan Rap game is that we went through all the generations of Rap and lived through all of its changes. We started young, allowing us to experience all of this, and now we can reference it. It's as if we were the 'children' of the old generation and the 'parents' of the new generation.
You're genuinely inspiring artists; we see it in your lyrics but also in your concerts. I saw you encourage the young people who came to see you to pursue their dreams and never give up. It’s rare to see artists so encouraging; is it important for you to spread a message of hope?
Shobee: Yes, exactly, it’s important to us. For us, it has become a mission to push Moroccan youth to reach their ambitions. We have been able to achieve things that we thought were impossible, and that's why it's so essential for us to share a message of hope. It’s important to show that we’ve broken barriers and opened new doors and that this is an opportunity for them, and we want it to benefit the youth and the next generation.
Small-X: It’s strong because we started from scratch and in a small town. We wanted to exist beyond this city and did everything we could to succeed. We worked hard to be known in Morocco.
Shobee: The majority of young people are just guys like us, who come from small towns and want to be known. There are not many big cities in Morocco, and it's frustrating for young people to feel restricted to an environment where there's no real hope of getting out because there's nothing to do there, like no activities. Nevertheless, that’s what made us strong; it allowed us to develop our artistic projects and learn what we wanted to do.
What were your first projects in music?
Shobee: From the beginning, we wanted to be able to export our music and have an international impact. Being on stage was also one of the things we wanted to experience.
You're among the first Moroccan artists to have developed your music beyond the borders of your country. Have you ever been afraid that it won’t work?
Shobee: That fear was something we had. But deep down, we knew we could do it because of our talent. But we also knew talent isn't everything, and you had to be stubborn to succeed.
Small-X: We also care about detail and always want to do the right thing and give the best of ourselves. We value everything we do, whether it’s our Instagram videos or our songs.
In an interview with BackPackerz, you said "In Moroccan culture, art is a hobby, not a job." So, in seeing you succeed, you have given hope to the new generation, who would like to emancipate themselves from this social cycle where you need a job, a wife, a house...
Shobee: I'd never presume to say that, thanks to us, things have changed, but I think we helped break a lot of social codes. We were able to help Moroccan Rap gain visibility so that international stars could take an interest in this musical genre. For example, I worked a lot on my sounds and always wanted to know the latest musical trends so that it could speak to a larger audience, not just the one in Morocco. It’s a series of events like this that have pushed things around.
How did you end up making sounds with artists like Lacrim, Dosseh and Lomepal who are icons in French Rap?
Small-X: I think the quality of our songs helped us to get noticed by these rappers. We were always in the Moroccan musical trends, and that allowed us to distinguish ourselves from others because they were icons in their country too.
Shobee: The strength of working with another artist is that it’s human first. It was the love of music that brought us together. The “human” behind the artist brought us together for these feats. Even in Morocco, we always wanted to collaborate with people and give strength to young rappers. Basically, we wanted to inspire our little brothers, and we ended up inspiring a generation...
"We also knew that talent isn't everything
and that you also had to be stubborn to succeed."
"We also knew that talent isn't
everything and that you also had
to be stubborn to succeed."
Do you think there are more rappers in Morocco now?
Shobee: Yes, absolutely! In the older generations, people were frustrated that they couldn’t break through, but with the new generation, things are different. I think we have succeeded in giving young people hope and showing them that we can succeed despite the difficulties. Everybody wants to be stylish and dressed like Small-X now! (laughs) In truth, we never wanted to be world models, but when we saw that this was how people saw us, we were even more interested in helping young people.
Small-X: We need to set a good example. We didn’t want to be gang-based rappers with chains around their necks that talk about crime and drugs in their songs. Honestly, we want to be able to inspire our audience and give them the energy to go to the end of their passions. Whether you want to be in music or a pilot, you have to fight and work tirelessly to get there, and that is the message we wanted to send.
To return to your songs and the messages you want to convey, I wanted to return to the song ‘Bzaf’, which seems to be a strong message. Can you tell me more about it?
Small-X: It’s about our experience; we’re always sincere in our songs. In our lyrics, we always talk about how we could convey our life events and the trials we went through.
Shobee: It's also important for us to tell people to think for themselves and to be independent in their way of thinking.
Do you think there are fundamental differences between Moroccan Rap and French Rap?
Shobee: It’s certain, already geographically speaking, it’s not next door, so it necessarily deals with a different culture. (laughs) You know, in Morocco, there are three types of people: those who are influenced by French culture since colonization, there are those whose Arab traditions have always rocked, and, on the other hand, there are those influenced by America. I think our group represents the Moroccan diversity that exists in our country because Small-X and I are different. He has his own ideas, and I have mine. Same with experiences. And yet, we put all this together to create something strong.
How did you feel the very first time you did a concert abroad? It must have been incredible to discover your audiences besides the Moroccan fans!
Small-X: We thought the music really allowed us to experience this. It gave us even more hope in what we were doing. That was the hope we wanted to share with others.
Who are the international rappers you listen to that inspire you?
Small-X: There are many... We're always on the lookout for the latest releases and what's happening in the world of Rap. I listen to all kinds of Rap songs; whether they’re rappers from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, etc.
Shobee: I really think that Rap is international, and can affect anyone. Sometimes, you don’t need to understand what people are saying; the most important thing is the melody and the emotion transmitted.
Speaking of Rap from all over the world, you're in a project called Safar on which rappers worldwide have collaborated with you and Moroccan artists…
Shobee: Yes, that’s precisely it. It’s a project open to the world, and other rappers from various backgrounds. When we first started, it was only Moroccan and French rappers, and then it went beyond our two countries' borders.
Can you tell me about the Naar collective you joined?
Shobee: It’s two guys who had the idea to create a collective that could associate French and Moroccan rappers. We were already used to the studio, the stage, the featuring work, etc. That's the strength of this project, because between our experience, and their desire for collaboration, we were able to go on tour with Madd - brother of Shobee who's also a rapper and who collaborated with Laylow on the songs ‘Visa’ and ‘Money Call’, also with Shobee - and make this album.
Are you coming to see us in London soon?
Small-X: A year ago, we were supposed to come to the Jazz Cafe, and it didn’t happen, unfortunately, but we hope to come back soon, Insha’Allah!
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