A Sudanese rapper whose route out of Khartoum after the war shaped a debut that reads more like a document than a record.
Sudanese rapper Onlyone, born Mazen in Khartoum in 1999, introduces himself through a tight three-track EP that reads like a personal document. Following the outbreak of war in Sudan, his journey has been shaped by movement, displacement, and survival, forcing him to leave the country and relocate to Egypt, where he is currently based.
Spanning just over six minutes, the EP documents disillusionment, broken trust, and gradual self-recognition. The writing grounds the project firmly in autobiography in a conceptual narrative that reflects on age, memory, and experiences.
The EP leans toward Sudanese drill and trap in a restrained form, leaving ample space for the vocals to sit clearly in the mix. There is a consistent use of sparse melodies, echoing ad-libs, and ambient background textures that reinforce the project’s reflective tone.
The project opens with ‘XXV’, named after the Roman numeral for 25 and built around echoing vocals, melancholic violin phrases, and layered ambient sounds, the track establishes the emotional foundation of the EP. Accompanied by a music video directed by Mohamed Mansour (XO), Onlyone is shown lying in bed surrounded by scattered papers, symbolizing discarded drafts and the frustration of trying to articulate experiences that resist being neatly put into words.
‘AWASIK’ stands as the EP’s thematic core and main focal point, where Onlyone delivers his strongest lyrical performance. The self-produced track features sharp snares and heavy bass, placing it firmly within a trap-drill framework as he addresses themes of betrayal, false loyalty, and internal conflict. Its use of layered wordplay and metaphors makes it the project’s standout track.
