[ARTIST BIOGRAPHY] Ktyb

[H O L D F I R E 流]

• Artist: Ktyb 
• Real Name:soobidih
• Birth Date /Place: 25/03/1995
• Age: 29
• Social status (Single / Married): married
• Artist Picture: 
• Musical Genres: RAP / TRAP /HIP HOP
• Awards: It’s a place that most wouldn’t visit, but on the way to a swanky Hammamet hotel, KTYB points to the neighbourhood on the periphery of the highway to let me know that’s where he was from. The rapper and singer, born and raised in the marginalised area, had just marked his return to Tunis from a life in Paris a few months prior and now lives in the more affluent La Marsa. On weekends, he indulges in getaways to nearby resort towns, where fans who ask for photos recognise him on the shore. Noticeably, he’s yet to reconcile with his newfound prominence — despite having been 16 years in the making. KTYB “I started writing music in 2007”, he says. KTYB would go on to enter his first studio session in 2009 and play his first gig a year later — one of few to date. In the years that followed, he continued writing and releasing music, often going against the grain of what was po[CENSORED]r at the time, namely the politically charged wave following the revolution in 2011. “It just wasn’t my vibe,” he nonchalantly announces. His sound was honed further as he later brushed shoulders with a local music collective, DEBO, that quietly shifted the sound of Tunisian rap. Rather than direct in lyrics and cadence, the collective embraced the power of metaphor and humour. By 2016, KTYB had weaved the Arabic poetic tradition into his writing, and humour became an integral element to his style, but he’d yet to take off. He moved to Paris, where he reconnected with his long-time friend, Riyadh Feddini, who continues to be his close collaborator. “He really pushed me to become who I am today,” KTYB explains. “He’s a genius,” he adds. “Sometimes we produce together, and sometimes I just sing on his beats—and it just works”. As he slowly made his way back to Tunis, Feddini and KTYB discerned a new sound of their own, cleverly borrowing from Arab and North African music codes as exemplified by their most recent releases but mostly with his first EP, Mixtape Vol 2. As a result, KTYB’s tracks now garner millions of streams on Spotify, with a comparable number of views on YouTube. This journey is not unusual for a Tunisian artist. Whilst parts of the region benefit from a developing music industry infrastructure, complete with record labels and distributors, the North African country remains an uninhibited terrain. Reaching commercial success can sometimes even be a matter of luck. A social algorithm of sorts that, combined with tens if not hundreds of tracks released to no avail, eventually leads to a viral sound that an artist then holds on to. The latter point is where KTYB differs, though. It would be innovative if the artist were to be narrowed to a single descriptor. It ensured his emergence on the scene and what looks to be a lasting presence. With a signature sound that remains intact, no KTYB song sounds like its predecessor so far, nor does a music video look like another. KTYB KTYB “I just want to make music about what’s most relevant to me,” he explains. “When you talk about yourself, you are talking about other people, too,” he adds. “I feel like when you position yourself as an artist who talks about society or politics specifically, you’ll end up lying at some point. That’s not to say that’s what artists do, but I feel like I’m good at expressing exactly how I feel. And I’m a human being, and so is everyone else, so I imagine we are similar and can find a connection between one another.” Within minutes of a conversation with the rapper, it becomes clear that he takes personal development seriously, which is ultimately mirrored in his lyrics—take ‘Ka3k War9a’ from his album Chams W 9amar as an example. His inventive spirit is evident in his visuals, too, with curated images and music videos that break the confines of what a Tunisian rapper looks like.
• Top 3 Songs (Names): snin deyma / kimbepe / ananan
• Other Information:-