Egypt’s foremost hip hop band Asfalt was created in 2005. Since then, members Ibrahim Farouk and Mohamed Gad have used their beats as a vessel for sharing social, political and cultural messages with the Egyptian public and the world. Asfalt’s at times satirical and at times more serious take on the local, daily life and struggles of regular Egyptians like themselves have modeled many of their songs into cultural references for the nation. Meanwhile, the cross-cultural issues and themes they rap about have appealed to a fan base extending well beyond Egypt. Asfalt’s renowned, electrifying performances balancing instruments, DJ appearances, vocals, rap, poetry, beat-boxing, and dance, make them one of Egypt’s most sought out shows, with close to 40 concerts a year. Their contributions to the local hip-hop scene extends to their live performances, as well as television commercials, and interviews on popular local talk shows.