#spacetoon

Tapes from Al-Khalil

before he was superman, khalil was just a kid with a cassette player and too many feelings.

i made two playlists for khalil from my project SON OF AL-KHALIL — one for the music he grew up with, and one for the music he gravitates toward as an adult.

the childhood playlist is made up of the things khalil grew up hearing constantly; children’s songs like Taer Al Nouwras, spacetoon openings, old cds and cassettes playing in the background of everyday life. music from kitchens, taxis, family gatherings, early mornings before school. the kind of songs that get absorbed into you before you’re old enough to understand why they stay with you.

the adult playlist carries many of the same roots, but filtered through age, grief, responsibility, and survival. classical arabic music, political music, songs about longing, dignity, homeland, and love that persists even under pressure.

i wanted both playlists to feel like different phases of the same person: someone shaped by love, pressure, homeland, fear, community, and the constant decision to keep caring anyway.

Baby Careem

Spotify | Youtube Music

Adult Khalil

Spotify | Youtube Music

إِلَى أَيْنَ سَنَذْهَبُ؟ أَخْبِرْنِي يَا صَدِيقُ.

سَأَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْحُقُولِ لِأَقْطِفَ الْأَزْهَارَ.

لَكِنْ رَفِيقُكَ… لَا، وَلَنْ أُعِيقَكَ، سَأَكُونُ ظِلَّكَ، لِتَنْسَى أَنِّي خَلْفَكَ.