Nahed Nassr

Studio Emad El-Deen, downtown, was where he chose to meet. ‘It's a good place to talk, and you can meet my female trainees.’ Amin Jalloh, a Sierra Leonean who has lived in Egypt since 2003, spoke fondly of starting up the A-441 rap band last year.

It is my last evening in bustling Istanbul, with only a few hours before my flight back to Cairo, and roaming the city seems the best possible farewell. But just round the corner I can't help overhearing an Egyptian speaking into a public phone, so I stop.