Cairokee (Arabic: كايروكي) is an Egyptian rock band founded in 2003.
Current members are Amir Eid (vocals, guitar), Sherif El Hawary (lead guitar), Tamer Hashem (drums), Sherif Mostafa (keyboard, vocals) and Adam El-Alfy (bass guitar). Their main influences are Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Coldplay.
Discography:
- 2011 – Matloob Zaeem (مطلوب زعيم)note
- 2012 – Wana Maa Nafsy Aaed (وانا مع نفسي قاعد)note
- 2014 – El Sekka Shemal (السكة شمال)note
- 2015 – Nas W Nas (ناس و ناس)note
- 2017 – Noaata Beida (نقطة بيضاء) note
- 2019 – Abna'a Albuta Al So'da (أبناء البطة السوداء)note
- 2020 – Cairokee Mn Al'Istudiu (كايروكي من الاستوديو)note
- 2022 – Roma (روما)note
Tropes:
- Apocalypse Anarchy: The protagonist of "Hatlena Bel Ba'y Leban" tells how he would spend his last day if tomorrow was the end of the world. Among others, he lists driving too fast, stealing an apple, and buying a racing motorcycle.
- Give a Man a Fish...: "Give the people a fish, and they will eat for a day. Teach them how to fish and they will eat everyday" is said in the song "Nas Beteros We Nas Betmoot" ("Some people are dancing and some people are dying").
- Grief Song: "Kont Faker" is about Amir Eid losing his mother to Alzheimer's.
- Heel Realization: In "Marboot Be Astek" the protagonist witnesses a woman being harassed at a club. At the end of the song he tells her that he is not like the other men there, but a moment later realizes that he actually is just as bad as them.
- Heinous Hyena: In the music video for "Marboot Be Astek" the harassing men are depicted as hyenas, while the woman is depicted as a Cat Girl.
- List Song: The lyrics of "Benkhaf" are a list of things that we are afraid of.
- New Sound Album: "Roma" has a quite different sound than their other albums, for the most part replacing the Sha'abi influences with Western influences. The lyrics are also notably less political.
- Parody of Evolution: The March of Progress appears in the video for "Dinosaur" with each of the individuals carrying a musical instrument.
- Performance Video: Many of their music videos consists of the band just performing the song, such as "Hodna" and "Hatlena Bel Ba'y Leban".
- Portmanteau: Their name is a blend of "Cairo" and "Karaoke".
- Protest Song: Many of their songs are this which has sometimes led to a ban.
- "Hodna", for example, is about feeling alienated in Egypt's society due to its severe issues.
- Recycled Title: "El Seka Shemal" and "El Seka Shemal Fe Shemal". The parallel is referenced in the lyrics of the latter:I prefer to sing again and repeat myself.
- Sampling: "Kan Lak Ma'aya" samples Umm Kulthum's song of the same name.
- Surreal Music Video: The one for "Dinosaur" is full of Deranged Animations, such as animated figures in an Ancient Egyptian mural smoking weed together, or an astronaut riding through the desert on a robot horse. The chorus especially is full of various animated pictures cut together at a fast pace.
- Title Track: "Wana Maa Nafsy Aaed", "El Sekka Shemal", "Nas W Nas", "Noaata Beida", and "Roma".
- Unplugged Version: In 2020, they released an album with acoustic versions of many of their songs.
