via soundcloud
Here’s the thing: You can tell how cool a person was by the artists they listened to as a child, especially if we’re talking about Arab music in the 2000s. The artists we’re about to list were definitely in every Egyptian cool kid’s playlist, so get ready to trip down memory lane.
So, all talk about questionable songs for children and disturbing one-hit wonders aside, let’s remember what these artists were all about!
Rico
Catching the slightest glimpse of Rico in the 2000s meant one thing and one thing alone: We were about to hear an insanely catchy song that will never fade out of your mind! Making cameos in several movies (and even starring in one), Rico made sure to mark all his appearances with unforgettable music. Nowadays, though, he’s nowhere to be found and we low-key miss him.
via anghami
Marwa
Sure, the Lebanese singer Marwa had some…questionable taste in lyrics, but we loved her as kids! To this day, we have no idea why we vibed to her music that much, but it definitely had something to do with her appearances in several Egyptian movies and her hit single Ama Na’eema. Oddly directed by actor Ahmed El Fishawy, that song left its mark on an entire generation. Is it a good mark or a bad one? We still don’t know.
via elfann
Maria
Differing opinions aside, Maria was a very interesting artist to discover in the mid-2000s. Sure, we don’t know anything about her except that her single El’ab was very fun to listen to, though we do think that it was a bit…suggestive. Somehow, though, the song survived 13 years so it’s definitely stood the test of time.
via youtube
Jad Choueiry
There’s just something about Lebanese artists, right? One of the best Lebanese artists to hit Egyptian soil was definitely Jad Choueiry, an exceptional 2000s icon who had hordes of teenage Egyptian fans! Currently, Choueiry STILL makes music, though it doesn’t seem like many people know him anymore. We don’t even catch him on the radio.
via flickr
Essam Karika
The one and only man who can make a word like ‘Shankooty’ became a thing, Essam Karika was one of the most famous Egyptian artists ever in the 2000s, so naturally, we couldn’t get enough of him as kids. We knew a lot of his songs by heart, even if we didn’t understand them!
