Morap Challenge: Moroccan Hip-Hop Producers Shaping a New Global Sound
The Evolution of Moroccan Rap and Traditional Sounds
A Beat and Challenge That Will Change Everything:
For over 20 years, Moroccan artists have experimented with fusing traditional sounds like the bendir, rebab, ghaita, and taarija with the global cadence of hip hop. From H-Kayne’s viral track Issawa Style (2004) to Fnaire’s album Yed El Henna (2005), from PAUSE’s philosophical track Sadou (2019) to Kekra x Dizzy DROS’ short-movie Stk Stk (2024), the formula was always there — the sound was present, but the identity was scattered. It echoed. It inspired. But it didn’t have a name. Until now. That name is Morap.
Morap is the birth of something we’ve always heard but never fully owned. And for the first time in history, Moroccan producers are stepping up to define it — not with theory, but with sound. Their mission? Create the first wave of Morap type beats and structure a sonic identity that celebrates Morocco’s rhythm, heritage, and modern soul.
Why Music Producers Important Players in hip-hop?
Because they are the architects of genre. They don’t just follow sound, they invent it. From trap to grime, from reggaeton to drill, every musical movement began in the hands of beatmakers.
This is more than a beat challenge. It’s a cultural turning point. These beats won’t just sound new, they carry the weight of a national identity long misrepresented or left out of the global hip-hop canon. They declare that Moroccan culture is not a sample of the past — it’s the source of the future.
And as global hip hop seeks its next evolution — after years of sonic saturation — Morap may be exactly the fresh breath it needs. A new language of rhythm. A North African pulse. A genre with something to say.
Years from now, when Morap has its own Spotify tag, a festival stage, or having a university course, we’ll look back on this challenge as the moment it took form. The first ripple of a wave that’s just begun to rise.
But this isn’t just a challenge. It’s a landmark moment. These beats won’t exist just to sound fresh, they’re here to rewire how we understand Moroccan identity in music. They’re a form of cultural reclamation, proving that our heritage isn’t a relic of the past, but a vibrant part of rap’s global future. What we’re witnessing is not a short-lived trend, but the birth of a genre. Years from now, when Morap becomes its own section on Spotify or gets archived in anthologies, we’ll look back on this challenge as a turning point, when the genre got structured, when it became real.
What Is a Morap Type Beat?
Morap, short for Moroccan Rap, is a subgenre of hip hop that fuses traditional Moroccan instruments and melodies with modern rap flows and production.
At its core, a Morap beat combines local musical DNA — bendir, sintir, ghaita, rebab, taarija, qraqeb, even vocal elements like tzaghrit or mawwāl — with the structure and rhythm of trap, boom bap, drill, or experimental hip hop.
But Morap isn’t just about beats. It’s about identity. It’s Darija and Tamazight meeting 808s. It’s ululation over drill. It’s a genre that sounds like home, without needing to explain itself.
Think the sintir looped into a boom bap groove, a chaabi-style rhythm reimagined through hi-hats, a ghaita slicing through layered auto-tuned melodies.
Recent tracks of 2025 like Taf Taf by Oldy x Anys x Shaw, Mok ya Mok by Benny Adam x Khadija El Warzazia, and EPs like Made in Tamazight by Namber have already hinted at this sound. The producers in this challenge are taking that vision further, crafting instrumentals where Morocco isn’t in the background, it’s the backbone.
Meet the Producers Behind the Morap Challenge
From club stages to festival decks, from YouTube tutorials to underground studios — these nine producers are not just beatmakers. They’re architects of sound, shaping the sonic future of Moroccan hip hop. Meet the first wave of creators who stepped up for the Morap Type Beat Challenge:
Nokker: Building Community Through Education
A rising voice in Morocco’s beatmaking education scene, Nokker is best known not for placements, but for building community. Through YouTube videos, podcasts, and production challenges, he has carved out a niche as one of Morocco’s most consistent content creators for producers. Whether it’s teaching music theory or going head-to-head in fun beat battles with names like Figoshin and Aya, Nokker is helping producers level up, one video at a time.
S13: Cinematic Beats for a Generation
A heavyweight in the Moroccan underground, with credits including Pause Flow, Nezar, Khtek, Rubio, and Figoshin — and production for the acclaimed TV show JamShow — S13 brings heat to his beats. He co-produced Third Eye, a historic Morocco-Algeria beef diss track that crossed 10M views on YouTube.
Jonah: Morocco’s Master of Mixing and Precision
The first-ever FL Studio Certified Trainer in Africa, Jonah is more than a producer, he’s a mixing pro. He’s worked with tons of artists like 7liwa, Liamsi, Kouz1, and is a longtime collaborator of Uzishettan. His mixes have powered massive hits like Trap Roumi V2, with 27M+ views.
DJ Sim-H: Bridging Generations and Traditions
A true turntable veteran, DJ Sim-H bridges generations. From festivals like L’Boulevard and Visa for Music to rap collaborations with Nessyou, Dizzy DROS, and Steph Ragga Man, his presence has been essential to the Moroccan hip hop stage. He also runs workshops on DJing and scratching, passing down the craft to younger artists.
Haris Hamza: Experimentation and Emotional Depth
Producer, singer, and filmmaker, Haris Hamza is a multi-hyphenate force in the alternative scene. Known for melodic experimentation and emotionally textured beats, he’s produced standout tracks like Alabass and Nsit, while also directing videos for artists like Lbenj, Klass-A, and Lfaree9.
Teaslax: Sonic Layering and Melodic Trap
A sound engineer and producer with a versatile touch, Teaslax has worked with Pause Flow (a frequent collaborator), Gjma, JNTYYY, Clemando, and Bermuda. His attention to sonic layering and vocal presence can be heard on L’Bayda Mon Amour, a track that dominated the Morocco Spotify charts for months and millions of views on YouTube.
Zuher Beats: Rap and Pop Fusion
Equally comfortable in rap, rai and pop, Zuher Beats moves fluidly between genres. His work includes placements with Dizzy DROS, Kekra, Tif, Lferda, 7-Toun, and singers like Mia Belghazi and Ihsane Regragui. His beat for La Zone Mahkoma helped push the track to over 20M views.
Masta DN: Aggressive Energy and Scale
Known for delivering aggressive bangers, Masta DN is behind some of Morocco’s biggest rap moments — including Moutanabbi Vol.2 by Dizzy DROS, one of the most influential diss tracks in Morocco’s hip hop history. Masta Dn credits spanning Lferda, Dollypran, Profit Za3im, and Bo9al, his production style commands attention with raw energy and sonic scale.
Cee-G Badazz: Viral Hits and Dark Grit
One of the most streamed Moroccan producers ever, Cee-G Badazz produced Aman Ro3b by Gnawi, amongst the 10 most watched music videos in Moroccan hip hop scene, with over 122 million views. Known for his gritty and West Coast-inspired productions, Ceeg has worked with tons of rappers like Youss45, Mol Mic, and Young Zoo.
The Morap Challenge Begins: Watch the Video
Meet the first 9 producers who joined the Morap Type Beat Challenge — captured in their own voices, volunteering to pioneer a new sonic identity for Morocco and North Africa.
NINE Moroccan Producers, the first wave of creators who stepped up for the Morap Type Beat Challenge.
Why The Morap Challenge Matters
This challenge is bigger than just beats. It’s a cultural moment: it’s about recognition, representation, and rhythm. For years, Moroccan producers have been the unsung architects of the sound, building entire atmospheres, curating rhythms, and shaping stories from behind the scenes. The Morap Type Beat Challenge puts them in the spotlight. And in doing so, it creates something even bigger: a shared sonic archive for the genre’s future.
Think of it as a digital folklore, a collective experiment where every beat adds to Morap’s evolving soundbook. Whether it’s bendir chopped into a boom bap loop or ghaita layered over ambient trap, each submission is more than a track, it’s a statement. A declaration that Moroccan identity, rhythm, and roots deserve a home in hip hop.
Each beat submitted is a brick in that foundation. A timestamp. A reference for future generations to know: this is what it sounded like when a genre was born. This movement invites everyone — rappers, DJs, visual artists, music educators — to be part of something evolving. And it’s just getting started.
And this is just the beginning.
The Conversation about Morap Has Already Begun
As this challenge takes off, it’s important to remember: Morap isn’t just beats, it’s an idea that’s already sparking conversations in Morocco’s music circles.
Three key discussions have recently taken place that help frame Morap’s cultural and artistic value, not just as a genre, but as a movement of musical identity, creative autonomy, and generational pride.
Here are the first seeds of that dialogue, planted by critics, scholars, and producers deeply rooted in Moroccan music:
1. Definition of Morap | A Global Perspective with Critic 3ab9or
In this foundational conversation, L7ma9 Reaction sits down with renowned music critic 3ab9or to break down the essence of Morap, not just as a sound, but as a necessary evolution. Framing the conversation around successful global case studies, they explore how reggaeton was born from the streets of Panama and Puerto Rico, how Afrobeats fused highlife with hip hop in Nigeria and Ghana, and how Brazilian funk flipped Memphis rap with favela energy to dominate the internet.
3ab9or shares his moment of realization: that genres like Brazilian funk didn’t try to sound global, they sounded local so confidently that the world couldn’t help but pay attention. He explains how producers took their cultural DNA — percussion, chants, rhythms — and paired it with hip hop’s bounce to create something new yet rooted.
The takeaway is clear: Morocco is no exception. With its deep catalog of traditional rhythms and rapidly evolving rap scene, it already has the ingredients. What it needs, and what Morap offers, is the unifying name and movement to organize it.
🌍 An essential dialogue for anyone who believes in Morocco’s place in the global music narrative. Watch Now (in Moroccan Arabic)!
2. Inside the Studio | Morap, Identity & Pride in Sound
In this powerful podcast episode hosted by Nokker, one of the participants in the Morap Type Beat Challenge, the conversation turns from music publishing and royalties to something deeper: identity. Alongside fellow producer OldyGotTheSound, who recently went viral with the Morap-infused track Taf Taf, the two reflect on what it means to make music as Moroccans living in France.
Oldy shares a candid realization that for too long, producers felt pressured to imitate global trends, often at the cost of their roots. Morap, they agree, isn’t just a sound. It’s a statement, a decision to center Moroccan culture unapologetically in hip hop production.
🎧 A must-watch for producers, fans, and anyone questioning what it means to create from the heart. ▶️ Watch Now (in Moroccan Arabic)!
3. Morap’s Roots and Future | A Talk with Veteran MC Dalim
In this in-depth conversation, L7ma9 Reaction sits down with Moroccan hip hop veteran MC Dalim — a rapper active since the early 2000s, and the record holder of of creating the longest recorded rap song in Moroccan history – 7itologia (26:43 minutes) — to reflect on the long arc of the movement, from street battles and cassette cyphers to digital platforms and genre-defining milestones.
Together, they unpack the state of Moroccan hip hop today, the wins, the wounds, and what remains unfinished. When the conversation turns to Morap, Dalim speaks with clarity and conviction: having our own sound isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. But what truly stands out is his call for intellectual collaboration. Even though rap is a street-born, self-taught art form, he emphasizes the importance of involving academia in the movement’s next phase — not to validate it, but to document it, analyze it, and help push it forward.
The result is a rare blend of artistic vision and cultural strategy, a meeting of minds that reflects how Morap isn’t just an aesthetic, but a larger cultural responsibility.
📚 A vital watch for anyone thinking seriously about the future of hip hop in Morocco — and how to elevate it on all levels. ▶️ Watch Now (in Moroccan Arabic)!
These videos aren’t just extras, they’re proof that Morap is becoming part of the national conversation, one beat and one idea at a time.
How to Join the Morap Type Beat Challenge
- Post your beat on IG with the hashtag #Moraptypebeat (or YouTube and add this in the title “| Morap Type Beat”
- Tag @dimatopmagazine in your caption and/or video
- Morap is for everyone who carries the rhythm of home
- Optional: mention in the description the instrument or influence you used
We encourage producers of all levels — in Morocco or beyond — to add your sound to the wave. Whether you’re sampling chaabi strings, flipping sintir slaps, or building a groove from tzaghrit (ululation), there’s a place for you in Morap
