Rare Baby: KUKII on the pulse of Cairo

An anthem for all the rare babies out there, Egyptian-Iranian singer, composer, and producer KUKII (formerly Lafawndah) taps into the electric pulse of Cairo’s trance scene with her latest track. Fusing the raw energy of Mahraganat—a style of Egyptian electronic music often played at weddings—with the gritty vibes of ’90s post-punk and metal, she drops a hypnotic music video that’s impossible to look away from.

“Rare Baby encompasses the spirit of Kill Bill, transported into an Egyptian setting. Meet KUKII who, accompanied by her collective of like-minded renegade girlfriends, tears up the streets of Cairo in the search for her long-lost aunt,” reads the description in a press release.

The instrumental draws from the vibrant sounds of southern Iran, specifically the Bushehr region along the Persian Gulf. They sampled the legendary Saied Shanbehzadeh, a master of Afro-Iranian music, whose neyanbän (a type of bagpipe) brings a totally unique tonality to the song. The lyrics? They’re like the first snapshots you share when you introduce yourself to the world—those postcard-perfect images of where you’re from and how you want others to see you.

In an incandescent moment where musical traditions are both honored and radically reimagined, Kukii undoubtedly stands out. With her debut EP set for release on February 20th, keep your eyes peeled for what’s to come.