Globalization has increased not only access to new goods and services, but also access to new forms of entertainment. One entertainment form that has benefited greatly is world music, or music that mixes indigenous folk, pop, and modern sound production to create a groove that translates among its core audience of young adults and music connoisseurs. As a culture bridge between the Arab and African world, Egyptian music has been at the forefront of world music. Egypt’s musical history has fused a variety of influences into something both entertaining and beautiful.

Modern Egyptian song has roots primarily in regional music. From the western deserts of Libya and eastern Sinai comes the poetic style of the Bedouins, and from the Nubians of southern Egypt a style complimentary to the 20th century jazz fusion movement. The Saidi of Upper Egypt have created a sound which closely resembles the folk styles of Europe and North America featuring toned down string instrumentals.

The transition from traditional to modern musical expression was eased through the integration of Bedouin, Nubian, and Arab musical styles by native musicians. Growing up in communities where any number of ethnic, religious, and political traditions harmonized in close context, Egyptian musicians like Ali Hassan Kuban, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and Hamza el Din achieved success infusing their songs with grass roots inspiration.

Pioneer of the Cairo music scene in the 70s and 80s, Kuban sang the traditional lyrics of Nubian culture to the tunes of jazz. Mohammed Mounir, whose distinctive voice, sophisticated sounds, and verse of social criticism have gained him fans across class and culture in Egypt and globally, has referred to himself as the ‘voice of the people.’

Multi-talented entertainer, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, performed on stage for nearly seven decades, acted in film, and wrote nearly 2,000 songs for various Egyptian artists. Throughout his career, Wahab demonstrated a love of Arabic language and musical traditions by using both classical and contemporary Arabic poetry as his muse. By comparison, Hamza el Din, considered a leader of modern Nubian music, employed traditional instruments like the oud (short-neck lute), and composed his lyrics to voice the struggles of the Nubian people as a means of bringing recognition for their plight.

Egyptians are passionate about their classical singers. Perhaps Egypt’s biggest and most famously popular voice, Umm Kulthum’s haunting wail can still be heard calling out from a distant stereo in the back alleys of Old Cairo. When beloved singer died in 1975, it is said that the crowd turn-out for her funeral was larger than much favored President Gamal Abdel Nasser. While Kulthum was alive, her voice was renowned for its ability to empty the notoriously bustling city streets of Egypt, as people hurried home to tune in to her monthly concert.

Like singers the world over, Kulthum sang of love, love lost, longing, and sadness. Unlike any other singer before or since, Kulthum’s performances consisted of a single song that would go on for hours – and her audience would listen with rapt attention, as she repeated a word or phrase over and over, each time with an emotional intensity or emphasis that was subtly altered. Enta Omri, or “You are my life,” is one of Umm Kulthum’s most famous songs.

In the 80s, a growing tension between classical music and more modern trends took the form of the rather sarcastic music genre known as shaabi. A blend of pop music, social satire, and provocative lyrics aimed at exciting the minds of youth culture, Shaabi took pointed jabs at the sensibilities of more conservative audiences. In 1971, Ahmed Adaweyah walked onto the scene with shaabi, the electric guitar, and the synthesizer to buck the system, and criticize prevailing cultural tendencies which the artist felt were too restrictive. Over the next two decades, shaabi did not supplant traditional music so much as it created a new door for artists to enter the burgeoning Cairo music market. The most popular of these artists today are Shaaban Abdel Rahim and Hakeem.

Another form of music which emerged in the late of 80s and early 90s was called el gil, and has essentially constituted the sound for the more internationally renowned artists like Amr Diab and Angham. Egyptian influenced pop music, el gil is heard often in dance clubs and on the stereos of many college students, and is defined by a mixture of Arabic inspired rhythms, electronic sounds, and light pop lyrics. Credited for the wide-spread growth of el gil, Amr Diab has sold millions of albums, while at the same time bridging the gap between Eastern and Western music sensibilities.

The future of Egyptian music seems analogous to the rise of Indian film over the last two decades under the guise of Bollywood. Indian film has managed to stick to topics interesting to native Indians, while at the same time producing lavish works that are compelling as well to the rest of the world. Similarly, Egyptian pop and rock artists continue to employ traditional sounds, either in terms of lyrics or musical forms. But they have also successfully developed their craft so that it appeals to audiences internationally. After all, music fans are notoriously fickle and are constantly looking for the next song or musician that will inspire and entertain them. It would seem that Egyptian music culture has created artists capable of doing just that.