Felukah (musician)

Last updated
Felukah
Born
Sara Elmessiry

Cairo, Egypt
OriginCairo, Egypt
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • poet
InstrumentVocals
Years active2018–present
Labels
  • Abu Recordings
  • Create Music Group

Felukah is an Egyptian rapper, singer and poet based in New York City. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Felukah was born in Cairo. [3] Her stage name references the felucca (felukah) sailing boats associated with the Nile. [4] She moved to New York City in 2017 and studied creative writing at The New School and Hunter College. [5]

Alongside music, she has published poetry under the pseudonym Kahirati. [3] [6]

Career

Felukah began releasing music independently online and performed in Cairo before relocating to the United States. [7] Her early releases included the project Battery Acid (2018). [7]

She draws from Middle Eastern hip-hop and Afrofuturism, describing Erykah Badu as a mentor. [8]

She released her debut album Acid Battery in 2018, [2] Citadel in 2019. [1] In 2021, she released Dream 23 with Abu Recordings. [9]

In 2021, she collaborated with Palestinian rapper The Synaptik as part of a Shubbak Festival commission, which also included a live performance at London's Jazz Cafe. [10] [11]

Felukah has sampled and collaborated with many artists from the SWANA region, including Ma-Beyn, Nayomi, Dounia, and Nadine El Roubi. [12] She collaborated with Danna Paola and Tamtam in a cover of "A Kind of Magic" for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. [13] [14] [15]

Felukah subsequently released Love Serum in 2023, [8] and Qabl Al Shams (Before The Sun) in 2024, rapping in both English and Arabic. In 2024, she performed at the Recording Academy's 2025 Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit. [2] [16] [17]

Later in 2024 she launched her first headlining tour, titled Qabl El Shams. [18] [19] [20]

Discography

Albums and EPs

YearTitleTypeLabel
2018Battery AcidMixtape / projectIndependent
2019CitadelStudio album1037341 Records DK
2020Dream 23Studio albumAbu Recordings
2021KawkabEPAbu Recordings
2022The Love SerumStudio albumFelukah
2024Qabl El ShamsEPFelukah Music / Create Music Group

Selected singles

YearSingleNotes
2022"A Kind of Magic (Coke Studio Mix for the FIFA World Cup 2022™)"with Danna Paola and Tamtam

Awards and nominations=

References

  1. 1 2 Kalouti, Noor (28 January 2020). "FELUKAH: Cairo's female rapper inspiring a new wave of Egyptian women". The National. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Manshi, Tariq (16 October 2024). "From Cairo to New York, Felukah redefines Arab identity through her music". The New Arab. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Felukah: 'I'm dealing with the split between my Middle ...'". Arab News. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  4. ↑ "Felukah". GRAMMY.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  5. ↑ Alotaishan, Shahinaz (2022-03-10). "Felukah". Metal Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  6. ↑ "Felukah - "What She Does" An Ode to Women Everywhere". Unlabelled Magazine. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Hip Hop Heat Hits Cairo: Meet Felukah". Egyptian Streets. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  8. 1 2 Wagner, Amuna (2023-03-24). "Sonic Futures: Felukah on Arabfuturism". PAM - Pan African Music. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  9. ↑ "Felukah – Dream 23". Abu Recordings. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "The Synaptik + Felukah Shubbak Festival Commission". Shubbak Festival. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Synaptik and Felukah: LONDON CONCERT". MARSM. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Toerkell, Ilo (2024-10-18). "Felukah on Dance Music and Radical Joy | Interview". Nothing But Hope And Passion. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  13. ↑ Hernandez, Jeanette (November 3, 2022). "Danna Paola, Tamtam & Felukah Talk About their World Cup Song Collaboration". Remezcla. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  14. ↑ "The Ultimate 2022 World Cup Playlist: Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Pitbull & More". Billboard. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  15. ↑ "Coca-Cola Reimagines Queen's "A Kind of Magic" to Celebrate FIFA World Cup 2022". Universal Music Group MENA. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  16. ↑ "Recording Academy®, United Nations Human Rights and University of Oxford Celebrate Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance Partnership in New York City". RecordingAcademy.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  17. ↑ "Recording Academy, UN Human Rights & University Of Oxford Join Forces For Climate Justice In NYC". GRAMMY.com. The Recording Academy. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "Felukah Uses Her First World Tour to Give Back". MILLE. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  19. ↑ "Backstage: Felukah". SceneNow. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  20. ↑ "Felukah – World Tour". Mise En Abyme (MINAB). Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  21. ↑ "The 3rd Musivv Awards Winners". Musivv. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.