Abo El Anwar Takes the Gloves Off on Album ‘Kalam Mkntsh Ha2olo’

Since the start of the year, Egyptian tapper Abo El Anwar has been approaching music with a newfound sense of freedom, stepping away from market expectations in favour of releases that mirror his personal taste and emotional state rather than the metrics-driven demands of the hip-hop industry.

On his latest offering - and first full-length album of 2026 - Kalam Mkntsh Ha2olo, the rapper navigates a broad emotional spectrum, moving between anxiety and tranquillity, isolation and escapism, vulnerability and overt confidence. Each track feels tied to a distinct chapter or moment in his life - part of unfinished conversations - yet together they feed into a central idea: the release of thoughts left unsaid for far too long.

Across the album, Abo El Anwar leans heavily into experimentation, both sonically and vocally. The record shifts through multiple soundscapes, from Arabic melodic samples layered over Western trap production on tracks like ‘Mafraksh Mn Tany’ to the dense use of traditional Middle Eastern instrumentation throughout. Additionally, there are flashes of raw street energy and rage rap on ‘Saheb Mama’, pop-leaning detours on ‘Ezay Terdele Hbbty’, and cinematic electronic textures on cuts like ‘Cella V’ and ‘Mesh Bshr’.

One of the album’s standout moments arrives on ‘Kol Ma Az’al’, featuring rap heavyweight Abyusif alongside DESSO, reviving the trio’s chemistry for the first time since their release of ‘Vienne’. Another highlight comes through the fully improvised, freestyle of ‘Familia’, while the stripped-back ‘Bender (Interlude)’ offers one of the project’s most introspective turns, with Abo El Anwar reflecting on friendships, family, and his growing disinterest in living entirely through parties and after-parties.

With Kalam Mkntsh Ha2olo, Abo El Anwar isn’t chasing a fixed sonic identity or broad commercial appeal as much as he is opening up a conversation about honesty in rap music - particularly the pressure many artists face to dilute or reshape their realities to fit the industry’s expectations.