It was around 2015 that the name Ahmed Santa started to do the rounds on what was then an Egyptian rap scene still forming itself. Back then, Santa was making a name for himself as rappers whose freestyle flows were second to none.

Fast forward six years and he now stands on the brink of a breakout that has been years in the making. While Santa himself is the first to refute claims of ‘making it’, his rise has put him front and centre of an in reasingly rich and prolific rap scene in Egypt. His tracks and videos have garnered millions of plays and views; he’s become a frequent collaborator with some of the scene’s biggest names, such as Abyusif; and he’s managed to do something that few freestyle rappers have managed to do anywhere in the world: take the essence of his freestyling and witty lyrics into the studio.