By Banah Khamis
Jordan’s underground hip-hop scene has been around for over a decade now with many talented artists, but we are very intrigued by an 18-year-old hip-hop artist, Mahasneh, who is fiercely establishing his own name and making his way up at such a young age.
We had an exciting chat with Mahasneh about his journey as an artist and how the versatility and soul in his music have allowed him to amass hundreds of thousands of listens on his Soundcloud profile. We got to know all about his start in the music industry, what influenced him, and what he has in store for the future.
What got you into making music?
When you have something to say, you always find the medium that suits you, and for me that was rap. I started writing rap songs after being influenced by some of the local Jordanian rap artists at that time such as Emsallam, Synaptik, and a few others. I tried to find myself in their words, but eventually, I got to the point where my journey in music took a different turn. I started to write and write and kept writing for two years, and then I finally started putting out music professionally in December of 2018.
What is your creative process behind your music? What inspires you?
I think that because of my age and how unpredictable I am with my sound, it always differs! Sometimes, I start writing because of my mood or the state I’m in at the time. Other times, I find myself looking for inspiration in the music I listen to. So, it’s always different. When it comes to my sound, I am influenced by what’s happening in the world of Hip-hop. I look up to a small list of rappers like Drake, J Cole, and Kendrick. I know it’s a little bit cliché; but in order to be great, I needed to study the greatest rappers of our generation, I studied their style, technique, and brand in order to shape my own.
After a while of making music for myself, I started to develop my skill and my sound and center them around my own identity. I started to use my voice as an instrument and I stopped caring for raps and flows and started to focus more on the musicality.
What does it mean for you to be making music at such a young age?
Honestly, it really does not matter how old you are. I make music that speaks for itself and I take pride in that. I never promoted any of my music or released it on platforms other than Soundcloud and I was still able to leave a footprint in the rap scene in Jordan and the MENA. In terms of music, age is meaningless. You either make good music or you do not.
I also feel obligated to transcend the current state of rap music in my city. I want to give my city its identity one way or another. I want to make sure that the next 18-year-old rapper will have a laid-out pathway to follow within the scene when following their dreams.
Do you have plans to elevate the music scene in Jordan?
One of the reasons my upcoming Album is called, “Fakher El Madineh”, meaning ‘the city’s pride’, is because my team and I’s plan was to elevate the quality and sound of the music produced in our city. Given, the biggest setback in the Jordanian music scene is that each one of us seeks success as a lone wolf.
I think in order to elevate the music scene in Jordan, we must first develop our own music in terms of identity and sound. We’re behind because we are yet to establish a collective sound. “Fakher ElMadineh” as a movement to take pride and ownership in our city.
Since this is your first album, can you tell us more about it?
My team and I have been working on ‘Fakher El Madineh’ for almost a year now, and it is currently being mixed and mastered. It is my first Album ever and I took my time building and perfecting its identity and sound.
This album was built around a central idea that ties the whole thing together. The sounds in the Album are all picked and generated for the sole purpose of conveying such a complex idea in the most effective way. Unlike my other releases, this album is not a playlist nor is it targeted for a mainstream audience. It is a fully designed record that is supposed to be played from top to bottom. This was a bold move, especially since albums in the Middle East are most of the time similar to a playlist. I made some of my favorite tunes when I was working on this album so hopefully, people will enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed making it.
What are your future plans?
My plans are growing by the day. I have an album coming out soon and my team and I are in the works of building our own record label. In terms of my music, I am going to keep shaping my sound and style. There are many genres and styles of music still untapped in our region. In terms of my brand, I work towards building a collective of artists and producers in order to further nurture my city musically. When I quit rapping, I want to leave a legacy of timeless records.