The founder of Milan’s Arab Milano collective keeps working the seam between Egypt and Italy.
Egyptian rapper One Zizo, currently based in Italy, continues to develop his story with his latest single ‘Sabah,’ drawing on one of Arabic music’s most recognizable classics. Founder of the Milan-based rap collective Arab Milano, One Zizo has positioned his work between Egypt and Italy, reflecting the realities of diaspora life.
Sampling Sabah’s classic song ‘Saat Saat’ through a distorted, pitched-down vocal sample that anchors the track’s chorus. Against the slower, looping sample, One Zizo’s verses adopt a sharper, more rapid delivery, reflecting lyrical themes centered on survival, illegal migration, and the realities of diaspora life.
Produced by DJ Ghost and One Zizo himself, ‘Sabah’ leans into hard-hitting drill production and aggressive flows commonly associated with the Milanese hip-hop scene. The track marks the closing chapter of One Zizo’s 2025 output within the Arab Milano framework.
The accompanying music video is structured in two distinct parts, opening with a slow-motion, nighttime cinematic sequence, showing One Zizo in a suit as he raps in Italian. In the second half, he switches to Egyptian Arabic, appearing in a more casual setting alongside his group, emphasizing contrast and cultural range.
The multi-dialect single, performed in Italian, English, and Egyptian Arabic, revisits his personal journey as an immigrant, addressing the pressures he faced in Egypt, and the limited opportunities that led him to migrate by sea before completing his education.
