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How Mohamed Fouad First Defined the ‘Egyptian Cool Kid’ With ‘Kamanana’

February 6, 2020

It can sometimes take a while — a decade or two — before we can look back and remember an  artist and see how much they defined a certain period. Mohamed Fouad is the kind of artist whose name is often not heard or is on everyone’s lips, but his music – nevertheless – reflected quite perfectly the period he was in. The 90s were a great time to be young. Technology, oversized jeans and popular culture were just thriving in Egypt as everywhere else, and there was no other way to define it than with a poppy song that talked about being the ‘cool kid’ – Kamanana Though it faced criticism from other critics and journalists for its frivolous flair, the 1997 hit gained huge commercial success for its fresh, modern and upbeat sound. For the most part, it included lyrics referenced the ways of life of youth and their own way of conversing that was incomprehensible to others, using made-up words like ‘Kamanana’  and ‘Akatsh’.  The most popular line was “And buy a satellite, mobile and a Cuban car,” which referred to the lifestyles of the middle and upper…


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