Rapper and songwriter Zakaria Bennaji aka Lbenj is making waves in Moroccan hip-hop. By channelling life-changing experiences like a motorcycle accident that incapacitated him for several months, he pens songs with a message. Lbenj lays soft, pained vocals on “Ghdara” and drops choppy raps over touching piano on “La trace”—assisted by trusted collaborator and producer Karim LOUKILI. But the rapper is big on beats, too. He draws on Arabic pop, dancehall and Afro-trap; and marries twisty rai synths with Latin-inspired notes on “Dinero”, a vibrant collab with Mourad Majjoud.
