Less than a week ago, President of the Egypt Musicians’ Syndicate, Hany Shaker, announced that he’s banning mahraganat singers from performing live, sending the announcement to all hotels, boats, venues, restaurants, and clubs. The ban came in response to the backlash that followed Hassan Shakosh and Omar Kamal’s performance at the Cairo International Stadium where they performed an old version of their song with lyrics that encourage the use of alcohol and hash.
The ban only brought more exposure to the genre and highlighted the fact that millions of people are loyal fans. A lot of people were in favor of the ban because they argue that this genre ruins our culture. On the other hand, others argue that millions of people like this music and thousands work and make their living from it, and that the music is actually very relatable and reflects a lot about our society.
Both local and international media outlets have put a spotlight on the ban, and a lot of celebrities made their stance clear about it. Our favorite part of all of this, however, is the memes! Here are our favorite reactions, memes, and videos that followed the Mahraganat ban!
Molotof’s Mahraganat Remix to Hany Shaker’s Song!
Here’s how Ross reacted!
Rania Youssef deciding to dance to the song right after the ban
The time that Adel Shakal plagiarized Ramy Gamal’s stance on the ban
The suggestion of a duet between Hany Shaker and Hassan Shakosh!
Another one suggesting that the name of Shaker’s next album be about poetry
