DJ Feedo: Hip Hop Hero
The only Egyptian DJ who really knows what it means to drop it like it's hot, we bump and grind with DJ Feedo
Cairo’s hip hop scene might not be as flourishing as all you rap bitches and gang bangers might like, but when we’ve had enough of house and head banging and need to get down and dirty instead, there’s only one man you can count on. Head G, DJ Feedo has been at the helm of Egypt’s hip hoppery for over a decade. He’s even been nominated for the title of ‘Best North African DJ’ in the African Global DJs Awards, counting on your votes to crown him hip hop king. We caught up with the man behind the beast-like beats that get us bumping and grinding at Cairo’s coolest clubs – not to mention the holy grail of hip hop tunes he pours out every Friday on Nile FM – to talk drive-by shootings, Molly and Russian gangsters…
So, we heard you started in the music industry by starting a rap crew with Ashraf Hamdi…
It wasn’t rapping, we were 13 and just having fun.
Ashraf Hamdi claims that he made you…
Who, me!?
When did you start spinning hip hop music?
When I was 16. It wasn’t a huge scene back then, but it was a little more hardcore; a little more gangsta.
What was the first gig you ever played?
It was at a café behind my house. I played for 3 hours straight. Then I played just for myself for about 2 years.
What do you think about the hip hop scene in Egypt?
I’m working hard on it, but the crowds aren’t that decent, and if they are, they don’t like to show that they are into hip hop.
Does any other music inspire you, aside from hip hop?
I like listening to the radio a lot so I’m into all kinds of music. Especially jazz.
You don’t like “khabt”?
Actually I do. I played house for four years, from 2000 to 2004
Have you engaged in any gangster activities? Drive-by shooting kids in the face, for instance?
No, sadly. Ana tayeb.
Do you have a crew?
Yeah, I do, along with DJ Hook and Mobb. Me and Hook go 10 years back.
Do you have a piece?
Yes. it’s a piece with Akon. You can listen to it on YouTube.
Nicely done. How did you get to Akon?
When he was here in 2010, I met him and his managers, and after he left, I emailed him about a song. So they sent me a beat with Akon’s vocals pre-recorded.
Who are your top 5 hip hop artists?
Biggie, 2pac, Jay Z, Drake, Meek Mill sometimes Lil Wayne.
If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be?
Biggie, Allah yerhamo.
Do you produce your own stuff?
I know how to but I don’t have the patience for it.
Do you freestyle?
Well, I’m a hip hop artist, not a rapper. But I can do a little riff for you…
How many gigs a week do you play on average?
I work hard, I think I do probably three nights a week and the Nile FM show.
What’s your favorite venue in Egypt?
Space Sharm.
What’s your favorite gig you ever played?
Probably my first international gig in Russia, everything was just so fucking amazing.
What club?
Olshtyn, in Kaliningrad.
Did you like the Russian gangsters?
They weren’t gangsters so to speak, but I wasn’t allowed to go outside the hotel on my own.
Who kept you in?
The managers and producers.
Did they send drugs and bitches to your room?
Sadly, I had a girlfriend back then!
What’s one of the strangest things that ever happened to you at a gig?
I had a request for “Seen Paoul – Tempratuure”. I usually just laugh and stick to my music. Oh and I had another guy who asked me “Law sama7t, momken teshaghal Amr?”
If the Ikhwan told you they’d pay you 10 mil for a song to promote the the brotherhood, would you do it?
Never.
Is hip hop haram?
Well part of it is, like the recent promotion of Molly, a new drug on the streets in the US.
Where can we get it here?
I wouldn’t know.
What’s the ratio of black people to other races in Egypt?
Like 1% in O Bar, 10% in Y Lounge, and 30% in Otium.
Anything you want to tell you fans about?
Wait for my upcoming album.
When is it going to be released?
When the country is ready for it.
Find out more about all the hip hoppery DJ Feedo is involved in on his Facebook fanpage here and follow him on Twitter @DJFeedo.
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