The song إيه الكلام؟ by Nayomi and Perrie is a beautiful culmination of the voices of two female rappers, one Egyptian and the other Iraqi. The blend of the distinct voices makes for a catchy song. The best part of the song is undeniably the chorus. When it starts, Nayomi comes in with faster-paced rap and a catchy rhythm. In contrast, when Perrie rapped in the previous verse, her style was softer and more whisper-like while still asserting dominance.
This is one of the main themes of the song: asserting dominance and mocking empty talk in a male-dominated industry. Not only is there dialect–switching, but they also blend in English, saying phrases like “this is ‘bout that pay”. In a world where English is considered somewhat of a more dominant and upper-class language, especially in countries that don’t speak English natively, it is a power play to introduce such phrases. There are also cultural references like Calvin Klein and Gucci. All of these can be seen as flexes and show their fellow rappers that they are to be taken seriously because “look at my status”.
The Iraqi and Egyptian dialects contribute to this theme. The Egyptian parts have long vowels and soft consonants. This is the performance part of the song—the chorus. The Iraqi parts are aggressive with heavy consonants and more compressed vowels. During this part, Nayomi is able to assert dominance and demand explanations.
This brings us to the lyrics of the song. This track seems to be part of the broader theme in Arab rap of women rejecting respectability politics. The beginning of the song starts with the two singers hugging playfully and laughing in a feminine way, which I noticed as a sharp contrast with the dominance of the later parts of the song. It’s almost as if the contrast says, “Yes, they are women. Yes, they are powerful”. With lines like “You all can’t see me from that distance?/I’m not the first—you’re the third”. They are not trying to remain well-liked but bragging about their position in the rap scene, saying that they are farther than their peers. The title of the song and the hook “Eih El Kalam” meaning “what’s the talk?” is loud and confident—a statement of presence. It asks what the talk is for because these women are in the scene, and they are there to dominate.
The music video also clearly shows this attitude and dominance. Most of the shots are from below, and the women wear big, baggy coats and dress in oversized jeans and shirts in the different scenes. Some of the clothes may be seen as “masculine,” but their use of ties and sitting with their legs spread facing the backs of chairs all show their rejection of the gender norms and their assertion of power.
Overall, the whole song is a statement of their presence in the rap scene and their power. It is beautifully culturally layered, and the use of all the artistic elements in the music video and the track helps to create a confident and linguistically and visually playful piece of art.
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