hamadaboi: Steering the Evolution of Bedroom Beats

For Egyptian producer Hamadaboi, everything started – perhaps unsurprisingly for an 18-year-old fan – with Astroworld. “Everyone was hyped for Travis Scott’s album in late 2017, and nobody knew what it would sound like,” he tells Dazed MENA. “So instead of waiting, I started learning how to make beats. That’s how much I wanted to hear it.” Inspired by the hype surrounding one of the great hip-hop albums of the last decade, that restless, DIY spirit has guided his exponentially burgeoning journey ever since.

Born Omar, but better known by his archetypal ‘HAMADA HAMADA HAMADA’ moniker, the 26-year-old producer has carved out a space for himself in Egypt’s booming rap scene from his bedroom. “When I was in high school, I loved watching Skrillex sets,” he recalls. “He would seamlessly mesh songs together, and I was obsessed.” That fascination with blending sounds was the seed of his musical education. 

FL Studio, a digital audio workstation software, became his playground. Here, mashups turned into beats, and the beats became a bridge to Cairo’s rapidly evolving underground. What followed was a steady climb from fan to collaborator. “Discovering Marwan Pablo and Abyusif kept me going,” he says. “Seeing people from my country reach that level really motivated me to get to a point where I could work with them.” He eventually did just that, contributing to EN7RAF by Marwan Pablo, one of his biggest achievements. “Getting to send beats to one of my favourite artists and be part of an entire EP is still crazy to me,” he shares.

In Hamadaboi’s eyes, success isn’t only measured in big names, though. He speaks with equal pride about Slimeback, his collaboration with Anas Hefny. “It was the first project where I was involved in everything—recording, producing, mixing,” he continues. “It made me realise I can be more than just a beatmaker.” It is this spirit that defines his sound. His production hits with the intensity of trap but carries a playful, experimental edge that reflects both the chaos and creativity of Cairo’s digital underground.

As much as he’s part of a new wave of regional producers, his creative world remains mostly digital. “As a bedroom producer, my community is mainly online,” he explains. “Sometimes I pull up to studios, but I’m way more in my element in my room. Me and my peers collaborate, give feedback, or just support each other through WhatsApp, Discord, or Instagram.” It’s a creative ecosystem that feels both hyperlocal and borderless, where Egyptian trap, SoundCloud experimentation, and global internet culture blur into something fresh and exciting.

If there’s a message behind the music, it’s one of radical openness. “I want to show anyone who’s watching that it’s okay to not fit the mould,” he says. “You can bring something else to the table and still have a piece of the cake.” But Hamadaboi’s goal isn’t merely to build a career.

“I’m not really thinking about achievements,” he admits. “I just hope to keep having fun making music, hopefully for many years. What fuels me is trying to evolve and one-up myself.” If Hamadaboi’s searing beats are anything to go by, that evolution is already well and truly underway, rooted in the joy of making good music.