It saddens us to see underrated art. While some so-called artists jump into fame for no apparent reason other than the fact that some people feel better about themselves when they see less intelligent people on TV, there are some brilliant Egyptian artists who deserve far more stardom and exposure in our opinion. Identity had the pleasure to name a few of them before and now we name more underrated Egyptian Artists :
1-Ahmed Haddad, Poet
If you’ve seen the movie ‘Awa2at Faragh,’ you’ll remember him in the intense scene where he got hit by a car on his way back to his friends after buying alcoholic drinks. His famous sentence, “Ana khayef a2ablo” still gives us goosebumps. Haddad, who is mainly a poet, has published five poetry books and was awarded the Best Book Award in 2012 for his poetry collection, Beshweish, at the Cairo International Book Fair.
2-Ritza, Band
This is an electro-pop band that was originally formed in August 2015 by Maii Waleed (vocals/keys), Ismail Seleit (keys/synths), Mohamed Mallawany (bass) and Marwan Wahid (drums). Waleed who has worked with leading Lebanese producer, Zeid Hamdan, for six years and performed in Beirut and Amman, has gained sufficient experience to create her own pathway in the music field. Guitarist, Youssef Abouzeid, later joined the band, and drummer, Hassan Seleit, replaced Marwan. Their debut release is set to be mid 2016. With their groovy tunes, and robotic Arabic vocals, Ritza’s music is the kind that makes you move involuntarily; it has the supreme power of making you move in any circumstance.
3-Hany Khalifa, Director
Khalifa is the director of the movie ‘Sahar El Layali’, which was a big hit in 2003. He vanished from the scene for about 8 years, then staggered us with his massive comeback in 2011, directing the TV series “The University.” Khalifa stroked again in 2015, directing the movie ‘Sokkar Morr’.
4-El Zeft, Graffiti Artist
A graffiti political artist, whose identity is left unknown, since we’re living in a country where every individual has the right to express his/her opinion freely…lol. Zeft has left his mark on the walls of Egypt, spreading political and social messages to the public during and following the 25th of January Revolution. And of course, the government, supporting freedom of expression, has painted over several graffitis of his. Zeft’s smiley face and rainbow graffitis has altered the ugliness of the military’s imposed walls and reconstructed the sad/harsh reality into a positive/heart warming one. Zeft’s art went global, with his brilliant Nefertiti design getting featured in an exhibition in Germany.
5-Mostafa El Kashef, Filmmaker/Photographer
It’s been argued upon many times whether talent is attributed to nature or DNA. Well, in Mostafa’s case, it is only safe to say that talent runs in the genes. Mostafa is the son of the genius director, Radwan El Kashef. Mostafa is studying cinematography in the Academy of Arts in the Higher Institute of Cinema. Along with his many contributions to films and series, Mostafa has also contributed as a director of photography to a short German film that was selected in the Berlinale Film festival, where he attended as part of the forum.
