Lembawe9: The Visionary Architect of Moroccan Street Rap
In a revealing conversation, Lembawe9 explained why the man who launched a generation of Moroccan rappers had to stop filming in the streets, bet his own money on a new cypher, and finally grab the mic.
Born in December 2002 in Derb Sultan, one of Casablanca’s most historic neighborhoods, hip-hop figure Ayman Ben Zarrou grew up surrounded by the energy and contradictions that define Morocco’s largest city. Today, he’s known across the country by another name: Lembawe9, a street innovator whose rap chawari3 (street rap) concept helped uncover a new generation of Moroccan rappers.
In a conversation with DimaTOP, Lembawe9 opened up about his journey from the neighborhoods of Casablanca to becoming a key cultural connector in Morocco’s hip-hop scene, tracing his musical roots, his early mistakes, the birth of rap chawari3, the high-production cypher series, LHANGER, and his ambitious next step: transforming into a rapper himself under the alias DaBenz.
Ayman Ben Zarrou: Growing Up in Casablanca
Lembawe9’s childhood unfolded across different districts of Casablanca, from the historical Derb Sultan to the industrial sprawl of El Bernoussi. These areas, known for their raw social energy and working-class identity, would later become the setting for his creative experiments. He completed a baccalaureate in science physics, but the classroom was never where his story would truly unfold.
“My father was a big fan of Michael Jackson,” he recalled with a smile. “I grew up listening to different legends, mainly Michael Jackson and Algerian rai icon Cheb Bilal.” This mix of global pop and North African street music shaped his sense of rhythm early on.
His introduction to hip-hop was a two-stage discovery. Globally, it began with American rapper 50 Cent. But the pivotal moment came at age twelve, through his older brother. “My older brother used to rap around 2012,” he said. “He listened to Don Bigg, that was the first Moroccan rapper I discovered. His dirty music hooked me. It made me understand that rap is not for everybody.” Sitting in recording studios with his brother, Lembawe9 absorbed the culture before ever touching a microphone himself.
During his teenage years, his playlist revolved around Don Bigg, Dizzy DROS, and Shayfeen, a trio who represented the core of Morocco’s modern rap sound. “They were the dopest back then,” he said. “Later, when I started rapping, I switched to listening to American rap, maybe because I wanted to understand where all this music came from.”
VIDEO: راب الشوارع بنجدية / تلاقينا Elgrandetoto 🔥😱 (الجزء 1 ) | ElGrandeToto, one of Morocco’s most streamed rappers ever, drops a freestyle for Lembawe9’s Street Rap Freestyles. Uploaded on Dec 7, 2020.
From Hobby to Concept: The Birth of Rap Chawari3
Like many young rappers, he began rapping just for fun, surrounded by friends. Nothing was released officially. But in 2019, he and his friends started a challenge: taking viral American beats and writing their own verses over them. That spark would soon grow into something far larger.
By 2020, he was ready to take his passion public. While scrolling online, Lembawe9 stumbled upon a video of an American producer promoting his beats by inviting random people to rap over them in the streets. The idea hit him immediately. “He used it to sell his beats,” Lembawe9 said, “and I used it to discover new and unknown rappers across Morocco.”
That was the birth of rap chawari3, literally “street rap” in Moroccan Darija. In August 2020, during the height of the pandemic, he started traveling across Moroccan cities like Casablanca and Marrakech, giving the mic to rappers from every neighborhood. The format was simple but revolutionary: a camera, a beat, a speaker, and let people spit their bars.
His nickname, “Lembawe9” (Darija for “the stoned one”), wasn’t originally artistic. “People from the hood gave me that name because of my sleepy eyes,” he laughed. “I hated it before, but I decided to use it for my YouTube channel.”
Street Rap Freestyles: A Movement Begins and Going Viral
On August 2, 2020, Lembawe9 uploaded his first rap chawari3 freestyle to YouTube. Within a week, it hit a million views, a remarkable number for a street-level project. Local rappers from El Bernoussi, including Solo and MB1, began reaching out to collaborate. Major figures like Tagne and Khtek reposted his videos, amplifying his reach.
Soon, rappers like 21 Tach invited him to appear in a music video, connecting him with others like Bo9al and Xkira7. The network was expanding fast, and Lembawe9 wanted to keep pushing. One day, he decided to organize an open rap battle. “I posted about it on Instagram, not knowing that thousands would show up,” he said. “The police came, and we had to run. They caught us later because we had cameras and gear.” It was his first real confrontation with authority, a reminder of how rapidly his movement had grown beyond control.
Every filming day brought over a hundred freestyles. Later, in post-production, he and his small team selected which ones to upload. “Some were really good, it was good for both of us, and others didn’t make it,” he said. The freestyle by Bo9al became a viral phenomenon, reaching a million views in just 24 hours. The exposure was a major catalyst, helping several artists hit their first million views. This list includes names like Bo9al and 21 Tach.
VIDEO: سولنا الناس عشوائيين باش يديرو لينا فريستايل / واحد تعرا وبدا كايغوت 😱😂 | Translation: We asked random people to freestyle for us / One of them got naked and started shouting.
Rap Chawari3: Fame Without a Paycheck
The impact of rap chawari3 was immediate. Music platforms and managers started calling. “Deezer contacted me about some artists,” he said. “Managers asked me who I thought had potential to make it.” But while the phone was ringing nonstop, the money wasn’t coming in. “I didn’t earn a dime. I was a kid, not knowing anything about business, just doing things out of passion.”
Another issue soon surfaced. Many producers sent him beats for the freestyles, but he didn’t realize that YouTube’s copyright system redirected all ad revenue to the beat owners. “That was my biggest mistake,” he admitted. “They got the money, and I got the experience,” he added sarcastically.
To protect his work, Lembawe9 founded a small independent label called Burn It or Burn Out. He almost signed two promising artists, Rabat-natives Vargas and Tchubi, but the deals didn’t go through. “I tried to do everything properly,” he said. “But it was all verbal agreements, nothing on paper. Another lesson learned.”
Brands and Charity: Street Rap Taking a Different Direction
By the time rap chawari3 had become a viral national movement, even brands took notice. Lembawe9 collaborated with Danone and twice with the Moroccan drink Raibi Jamila, one of those featuring ElGrandeToto, Morocco’s most streamed rapper.
But his most meaningful project came from the heart: a charity freestyle inside a Casablanca orphanage, which he proudly notes was the first of its kind in Morocco. “That experience inspired me to go further,” he said. His next dream was to take rap chawari3 into Oukacha Prison, one of Casablanca’s largest detention centers, to give inmates a creative outlet and a voice. He contacted NGOs, journalists, and even reached out directly to Mohamed Bensaid, Morocco’s Minister of Youth. “He said the idea was good,” Lembawe9 recalled, “but after six months, nothing happened.”
That silence hit hard. “It broke me,” he admitted. “We didn’t even get a rejection, just a cold shoulder.” The disillusionment pushed him to pause the project altogether.
VIDEO: لأول مرة في العالم فريستايلات بدار الأيتام 🤯🔥 | Translation: For the first time in the world, freestyles at an orphanage 🤯🔥
Lembawe9: The Legacy of Rap Chawari3
Even after the concept went quiet, its influence spread across the Arab-speaking world. “A guy from Egypt was inspired by my videos,” he explained. “He went bigger, doing it in different countries, and even called it rap chawari3.” In Morocco, ex-rapper Paressa launched a similar project. For Lembawe9, imitation was bittersweet. His brainchild had sparked a trend but had also slipped from his control.
Despite that, his impact was undeniable. His work, which won in the Music category at the Maroc Web Awards (MWA14), helped shape a new pipeline for Moroccan rap talent, giving underground voices from neighborhoods like El Bernoussi, Sidi Moumen, and Hay Mohammadi more visibility. For many young artists, rap chawari3 was their first time being seen or heard.
VIDEO: RAP SHAR3 Palestine (Ard Kan3an , ana Palestine) | An Egyptian hip-hop figure, who Lembawe9 says was inspired by him, has taken the Street Rap Freestyles to several countries, including Palestine.
Live Cypher: Rebuilding Through The Hangar
After stepping back from the spotlight, Lembawe9 shifted gears. He began working quietly on a more ambitious project: The Hangar Cypher (LHANGER). “It needed a lot of money, time, and work,” he said.
Unlike rap chawari3, LHANGER is recorded live, not pre-recorded, an enormous technical challenge in Morocco’s outdoor shooting conditions. “Filtering sound, removing echo and noise, it’s expensive,” he explained. “We film in different parts of the country. And the bars have to be exclusive to our videos, that’s why now I sign contracts with all rappers.”
Every artist contributes two exclusive verses, and none of them are paid, not because Lembawe9 doesn’t want to, but because LHANGER is completely self-funded. “The only rapper who ever asked for money was PAUSE,” he added, smiling. “That’s a story for another day.”
The debut season, self-funded with “zero sponsors” as he expressed, successfully featured 18 artists across four episodes, with a lineup that included established names such as L’Morphine, Raid, Loun and Diib. Despite the financial strain, the response was overwhelming. Reaction videos flooded YouTube, clips went viral, and Moroccan hip-hop fans embraced the new format with excitement.
MC Lembawe9: Taking the Stage Across the Nation
While many fans know him as the man behind the camera, few realize that Lembawe9 has also been an MC on stages across Morocco, presenting artists of all levels. That experience paid off when he was invited to appear on “Jam Show,” the televised rap competition backed by Tayze (manager of Dizzy DROS).
“I was there for Prime #3 of Season 2, during the Cypher segment,” he said. “It was amazing being next to L’Morphine, Shobee, Don Bigg, Teekay, and DJ Sim-H.” For him, sharing that space with both veterans and new talents symbolized a full-circle moment, from the kid who watched his brother rap in a studio to an MC standing beside Morocco’s rap legends.
VIDEO: Jam Show Prime 3: Mardi 29 Avril 2025 | Lembawe9 was invited to host the cypher segment on the televised rap competition Jamshow, appearing in the third episode of its second season. Premiered on May 1, 2025.
The Meaning Behind LHANGER: Warehouses, Blood, and Fire
When asked about the project’s name, Lembawe9 points to his home turf. “El Bernoussi is full of hangars” (a French-derived word for large, abandoned warehouses), he said. “I always wanted to see life in them, so I thought: why not bring life myself?”
Every detail of LHANGER carries symbolism. The red color, dominating most visuals, represents “my blood pouring into this concept.” The petrol gas imagery reflects rappers “coming to bring fire to the hangar.”
He estimates that each episode costs about 60,000-70,000 dirhams (roughly 6000-7000 USD). This budget covers transportation for the team and artists, accommodation, and can include the rental of specialized gear, with the final amount fluctuating based on the filming location and the number of artists involved.
Following the success of the first season, several brands like CIH Bank, Red Bull, and Raibi Jamila have shown interest as potential sponsors for a second season. “When we get sponsors,” he said, “we’ll make sure to pay the artists too. They deserve it.”
VIDEO: Lembawe9, Lmorphine, Youss45, Raid, The only, Kpv, Astro LHANGAR LIVE CYPHER 2025 | Uploaded on Jul 27, 2019.
Looking Ahead: From Lembawe9 to DaBenz
After years of pushing others into the spotlight, Lembawe9 is finally ready to step in front of the mic himself. “It’s time for me to start my career as a rapper,” he said. The new chapter will be under the name DaBenz, and his first release will be an EP titled ‘5 Years Later’.
As the first official signee of his own label, Burn It or Burn Out, DaBenz plans to showcase a fresh style, experimenting with new beats, flows, and ideas. “It’s all about being innovative,” he explained. “This November will be the beginning of a new chapter.”
For Moroccan hip-hop, that evolution feels fitting. From the street corners of Casablanca to the digital stages of YouTube, from the chaos of viral fame to the structure of a label, Lembawe9’s story captures the creative hunger that defines a new generation of artists, restless, resourceful, and endlessly self-taught.
Conclusion: The Architect of a Street Revolution
His journey, from a teenager with a microphone to a label founder launching his own career, encapsulates the modern creative struggle: the clash of pure passion with the complexities of commerce, the profound impact of a simple idea, and the resilience required to evolve through adversity.
In less than five years, Lembawe9 progressed from filming street freestyles to becoming one of the most influential figures shaping Morocco’s modern hip-hop ecosystem. He discovered new talent, built bridges between rappers from different regions, and transformed abandoned urban spaces into creative sanctuaries. His path hasn’t been easy, marked by missteps, burnout, and missed opportunities, yet it has remained uniquely authentic.
Now, as he transforms into DaBenz, one thing stays constant: his belief that Moroccan hip-hop is more than just music; it is a vital cultural force.
