From the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, Shabjdeed and Al Nather have created an entire world. The rapper and producer’s label BLTNM is independent and DIY in the truest of senses. On their second album, SULTAN, they further their unique and specific take on modern hip hop.

It’s a sound in conversation with the brooding, gritty realism of 2010s Atlanta trap and South London drill, but fashioned with a minimal touch. Instead of rattling high hats driving high in the mix, producer Al Nather sprinkles  them subtly in the background, like little bells or specks of gold. Often, a droning minor scale synth will dominate, an edge of precariousness creeping  over the record. Shabjdeed’s performance on SULTAN also holds  this balance: poised, cool, but biting – a constant flow of words twisting and turning around each track.

SULTAN is a concept album of sorts, as Shabjdeed adopts a new persona, the album’s namesake. This blurred line between fiction and reality is a conceptual departure from the duo’s previous works. It gives them space to explore new musical ideas – the nostalgic breakbeats of ‘Nasheed’ and getaway-heist post punk of ‘01’ two such moments, both still in the pair’s trademark, BLTNM style.

Working with artist and designer Hussein Nassereddine, Shabjdeed and Al Nather crafted a wide visual and artistic identity for the album. The cover art, embossed upon a piece of sheet metal, was created alongside other merchandise detailing events from the album’s universe. Shabjdeed even wrote an accompanying novel that expands on this world; not yet released, with a desire for listeners to discover SULTAN’S story themselves through a ‘slow burn.’

The world of SULTAN proves the duo’s endless ambitions. In interviews they make clear that they refuse to be defined by occupation and the endlessly stifling reality of making art in Palestine. Already pioneers, Shabjdeed and Al Nather’s vision knows no bounds, and their world is only just beginning to be built.