Egypt cracks down on new `Mahraganat` rap style music
(World News Egypt)

Cairo: Egypt`s music union has banned a nation wide popular street music, blaming it for corrupting the public taste and spreading immoral lyrics. The ban was slapped after Egyptian mahraganat sensation Hassan Shakoush performed this week at a sell-out Valentine`s Day concert at Cairo Stadium where he sang his hit song `The Girl Next Door` whose lyrics include `I drink alcohol and smoke hashish` which the music union considered depraving. The banned genre, known as mahraganat music, arabic for `festivals`, originated in Cairo slum areas in the early 2000s. It has since generated a huge following across the Egyptian society, mainly among youth, becoming a staple feature...