His face hidden behind a balaclava, the enigmatic LFERDA has captured Moroccan rap’s imagination. His 2019 album Cauchemar (“Nightmare” in English) floats in a widescreen realm between dreams and reality, contrasting haunting melodic hooks with granular trap and high-octane dancehall. On hit “Mi Amore”, featuring Witness and Kouz1, a poignant piano loop braids together reggaetón-styled beats and Latin guitar tinges. LFERDA’s themes may often be sombre and raw, but there’s a playful streak in his restless blends of rhythms and rhymes that swap Arabic for French, Italian, English and more.