HUDA: The artist using rap to maintain her Moroccan identity within Madrid

Huda wears: Jeans Y/Project, Sleeveless Sweatshirt EMEERREE, Belt DSQUARED2, Sneakers Nike

Words by Aicha Trinidad Gououi

Huda is a 26-year-old singer based in the south of Madrid, moving between the cultures of the Spanish capital and a small town in Morocco. Her latest singles include ‘Keep it halal l’ and ‘Keep it halal ll’ (released 2022 and 2023 respectively), which are about her life experience and the values that Maghrebi culture has passed on to her. Values and experiences that will appear on her EP Jamila, named after her mother. 

This duality flows naturally into her music, creative expression and even her work with Free Sis Mafia, a groundbreaking Spanish music collective which centres union, freedom and sisterhood in rap, especially attracted by French rap.

As daughters of the diaspora, we live in the in-between. This place has its own agency, meaning that living between two cultures is a way of inhabiting the world. We are not half one thing and half another, we are 100 percent, always. In our position the easiest thing would have been to whitewash, adapt and integrate ourselves, succumbing to what the majority want us to be. But integration is a trap and stripping ourselves of representation is not an option.

Even so, many of us agree that answering the question "where are you from" has made us uncomfortable, no answer convinces them, and worse, no answer convinces us. In the book "Whites, Jews and Us. Towards a politics of revolutionary love" by Houria Bouteldja (2018: 94), she writes: "I am not from here, not from there. It is fate that brought me here. I wish that at least the tortures of exile would leave me something". 

Cargo pants and belt EMEERREE, Knit Sweater Vest Lacoste, Sneakers Nike

One of the things that exile has left us is the imperative need to reclaim and conquer our places of creative expression. Music, visual art and fashion have been fundamental instruments for this victory. Huda embraces the in-between in a day-to-day and honest way. She is an artist who directly addresses the lack of relatable cultural references that we experienced during our childhood and youth.

This special visual collaboration was shot on the periphery of Madrid. The editorial is a reflection of everyday life, so the setting, the actions, the photographs and Huda's styling are not intended to be far removed from her reality. We added elements to the sets that were an ode to the North African diaspora, such as a television featuring the Al Jazeera news channel, a history book opened by the battle of Lepanto, the fabrics of Maghrebi origin or the blanket over the car that was Aicha's mother's, made in Kenitra. Also, the stylist kept some characteristic elements of Huda's way of dressing, such as the flip-flops with socks or her trainers and personal jewellery (chain, rings and watch). She also added elements such as a top with Huda's mother's name in rhinestones, a ring with the inscription "انت حياتى" (you are my life) and a Casablanca t-shirt.

In her song ‘Keep it halal l’ Huda sings "the shoes stay at the door, my rugs can't be stepped on". And in ‘Obrigado’ one lyric reads - "one month a year fasting, at ten o'clock at night you have breakfast". Huda not only gives space to Darija (Moroccan dialect) and Moroccan culture, but contextualises creation of the arts from the Moroccan/Spanish diaspora. 

The magic of Huda's lyrics is that they are not strategically formulated. What she writes is what she is and feels. It is an example that when you assume your identity, what you want to express comes out innately. This form of raw artistic creation, from the in between, teaches us more than any academic theory, because it is based on the democratisation of knowledge, that way knowledge becomes accessible and experience remains the main driving force. 

Above Huda wears:

Look 1 Long Boxers EMEERREE, Crewneck Sweater Tommy Cash x Maison Margiela.

Look 2 Jersey Marine Serre, Pants Y/Project, Belt DSQUARED2

Look 3 Long Sleeved white Hood and Long Joggers EMEERREE, T-shirt Stylist’ custom

Artist - Huda @hudalaamarti

Co-Creative Director & Photographer - Alejandro Madrid
Co-Creative Director &  Stylist - Lucci García @luccimiu
Words by Aicha Josefa Trinidad Gououi @aichatrinidad 

With Thanks to Niño Rata @ninorata_archive and Emeerree @emeerree.studio