Rap is a musical register that often explores the realities of the street and, very frequently, the gray areas of the illegal and more if there are affinities. It is therefore not surprising that stories linked to the prison world have multiplied over time. However, talking about a time in prison or describing the world of incarceration cannot be reduced to a simple repetition of clichés. In reality, there are almost as many ways to relate this experience as there are rappers, each bringing a unique and personal perspective to the subject.
In its new title Ma3ndiche L7a9Moroccan rapper Abdelaziz Ouenza alias Ouenza offers a visceral and realistic dive into the prison world, through the eyes of a rebellious and disillusioned prisoner. This track, taken from his new EP (Ok Wait), stands out for its personal story, where the artist revisits the sequence of events that led to his imprisonment, without disguise or embellishment.
As a reminder, Ouenza was arrested in September 2022 and sentenced to two months in prison. This judgment triggered a wave of solidarity towards the artist on social networks. A few days before this conviction, Ouenza had published a video in which he denounced his arrest, claiming to have been “ exposed to violence on public roads by members of a police patrol “. The Casablanca Police Wilaya, however, presented a different version of the facts, stating that Ouenza was riding a motorcycle without a helmet, refused to comply and insulted and injured police officers.
From the first lines, Ouenza depicts the oppressive aspect of detention. Through his words, he portrays a man “ dakhel mdloum (entered wrongly accused)”, a victim of a system where efforts to prove one’s innocence are exhausted against walls of disapproval: ” This is the middle of the world 3 years old “. The repetition of the refrain, chanted like an implacable sentence – “ Ma3ndich l7e9 (I have no rights)” – sets in like a muffled cry, a demand for justice that never achieves its goal.
With an imposing rhythm and a few injunctions, the piece imposes tension, mimicking the feeling of confinement and constant pressure. This icy atmosphere is intensified by simple but chilling observations: “ Bghit ndwi 3la 7e9i (Galou ma3ndich l7e9) / With the cameras nchoufo (Galou ma3ndich l7e9) “. These sentences reveal demands for basic rights – such as access to healthcare. Here’s what’s in the box (Galou ma3ndich l7e9) ”, or a simple blanket to protect yourself from the cold “ Zidou manta kayn lberd (Galou ma3ndich l7е9) » – which are systematically refused.
Justice on trial
Ouenza is anchored in a reality shared by many inmates, but it is in the coldness of his descriptions that he stands out. Unlike other rappers, he is not content with a nostalgia for lost freedom, but adopts a critical perspective towards the actors of justice. The song becomes a mirror held up to judges, prosecutors and police officers, where the rapper reflects back to them the accumulated questions and frustrations: “ This Monte-Carlo song will be 7 to 9 in ghadi yzapiw / Dazet chher w ba9i matl9o liya les appels ».
This realistic approach takes an almost documentary turn, as he recounts the banality of life behind bars, punctuated with crude details: “ Btata w soba / Zido f ryassen, wsslat 50 f l’appel “. In this world, even everyday objects, such as the designer clothes he mentions, become poignant reminders of survival in a prison environment.
The title Ma3ndiche L7a9 sums up the feeling of injustice which saturates the piece, and which undoubtedly makes it one of the most down-to-earth tracks of his new EP. By not seeking to embellish his experience, Ouenza delivers a raw and impactful work. Through this account of prison life, he paints a personal and collective portrait of detention, thus adding a stone to the building of social criticism in rap made in Morocco.
IN PICTURE
Long anchored in city towers and daily life in the suburbs, rap videos have evolved to become spaces for daring visual experimentation. In the Ouenza clip, directed by Reda Lahmouid, it is a raw and stylized immersion in the prison world that is offered to spectators.
In Ma3ndiche L7a9director Reda Lahmouid depicts Ouenza’s incarceration experience with oppressive intensity, faithful to the artist’s vision. “ My role, when I produce Music videos, is to translate into images the vision of the artist and the emotions he transmits. », explains Lahmouid, who chose to shoot in the studio to recreate a universe with no escape. “ This closed session, devoid of exterior scenes, is designed to make the viewer feel the atmosphere of isolation, oppression, and harshness inherent to detention. ».
Minimalist decors accentuate this feeling, reducing the space to the essentials to reinforce the feeling of solitude and seclusion. “ The goal was to immerse the viewer in this rigid and dead-end prison universe. “, he specifies. Each staging element and each angle of view are carefully thought out to express a constant state of tension, directly linked to the jerky rhythm and boom-bap/old-school beat of Ouenza’s piece. “ This rhythm creates different scenes in the music video, incorporating props and settings that tell the story while keeping the viewer constantly on their toes, like life in prison ».
Behind bars, the naked truth
The clip goes beyond the simple personal story and is loaded with symbols, “ speaking of situations of injustice and marginalization experienced by a generation of young Moroccans », continues the director. The raw and authentic appearance of the characters, including that of Ouenza, avoids any cliché. “ There is no question here of feeding stereotypes; the idea is to show a raw reality, where every visual detail, from expressions to clothes, carries meaning “. For example, Ouenza wears a green t-shirt signed by his cellmates, a symbol of solidarity.
Lahmouid says he is proud of the clip as a whole, where each scene and each detail contributes to the final objective: “ depict the harsh reality of the experience of imprisonment “. He leaves it to the viewer to discover the numerous symbols scattered around, creating a work which translates the voice of a youth in search of justice and recognition.
