Long before audiences around the world began trying to decode the language behind his records, they were already connecting with the feeling.

ElGrandeToto has become one of the defining voices of a new generation of North African artists reshaping what global rap sounds like—not by translating himself for international audiences, but by inviting those audiences into his world. His music moves effortlessly between hard-edged rap, melodic experimentation and deeply local references, all while remaining unmistakably Moroccan.

It's an approach that has transformed him from Casablanca's breakout star into one of the region's most influential cultural exports. Yet beneath the streaming numbers, sold-out arenas and international collaborations is an artist still obsessed with process rather than perception. He speaks less about fame than he does about beats, melodies, instinct and the slow pursuit of excellence.
For Toto, authenticity isn't a marketing strategy. It's simply how he exists. Home keeps him grounded. Family shapes his perspective. Morocco remains the centre of his creative universe. In conversation with Deeds, ElGrandeToto reflects on instinct, identity, collaboration and why greatness is something that can never be rushed.

Deeds:Welcome to Deeds. For those discovering you for the first time, who is ElGrande Toto?

ElGrandeToto: Wagwan. I'm ElGrande Toto. I'm from Morocco, I make rap music, and I make music for the whole world.

Deeds: Your music feels instinctive, but there's also a real level of precision behind it. What does your creative process actually look like?

ElGrandeToto:It's both. Every session starts the same way. I listen through beats. If nothing really speaks to me, I ask my producers to create something new. I'll spend hours listening to loops until one feels right. Over the past year I've become much more involved in making beats myself and supervising every part of the production. Once I find the right foundation, I step behind the microphone and let instinct take over. I don't decide what the emotion of a song should be before I make it. I just keep digging until I find what's already inside the beat.

I don't force emotion. I keep digging until I find what's already inside the beat.

Deeds: When you're creating, what are you actually chasing?

ElGrandeToto: First, I'm chasing self-satisfaction. I have to be the biggest fan of my own music before anyone else hears it. After that, I'm always exploring—new flows, new textures, new ways of using my voice. Maybe what I'm really chasing is greatness.
But greatness takes time.

That's why I've spent so much time in the studio experimenting with new sounds while reconnecting with the energy people first heard from me years ago.
There's a lot of passion behind that process.

You can't rush greatness. That's why I spend so much time searching for new sounds.

Deeds: Your music is deeply personal, yet it resonates with millions of people across completely different cultures. Why do you think that is?

ElGrandeToto: Language plays a huge part. Moroccan Arabic is incredibly rich because we've been influenced by so many cultures—Spain, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, France, Italy, America. Growing up I heard different languages everywhere, so our slang became this mixture of all those influences.
People might not understand every word, but they understand the feeling. The flows help too, anyone who's been in the studio with me knows I'm serious about what I do. I'm also much more open to collaboration now than I used to be; For a long time I wanted to do everything myself, especially melodies. Now, if working with someone makes the music better, I'm open to it.

Deeds: You've built your career without compromising who you are. Do you think authenticity has become your greatest strength?

ElGrandeToto:  Definitely! One of my friends once told me I was the voice of people who don't have a voice and that stayed with me. Even people who don't necessarily listen to my music respect that I speak honestly, especially when other people stay quiet.
Everything I rap about comes from my reality.
Sometimes it's beautiful.
Sometimes it's uncomfortable.
But it's always real.

Deeds: Despite your success, you're still incredibly hands-on. You even manage your own YouTube. How do you protect your perspective?

ElGrandeToto: Home, my wife is back home, my son is back home and my family is there.

Those things remind me what actually matters. The way my mother raised me matters too. She wouldn't be proud if success turned me into someone arrogant. At the end of the day, I make music. Music can change lives, but I'm still just someone making songs. I'm not a firefighter. I'm not a martyr.
There are people doing much more important work than me every day.

Deeds: Even as your music evolves, there's always something unmistakably Moroccan running through it. Was that always intentional?

ElGrandeToto: Not at all. When I first started making music I was rapping in French. Arabic came naturally. Now it's become more important than ever and I know I could make music in other languages, but that's not what I want. I want to push Moroccan music further than it's ever been before. Artists like DYSTINCT are doing incredible work too, bringing Arabic into collaborations with major international artists without compromising who they are.
Every time someone discovers my music, there's a chance they'll discover another Moroccan artist.
That's how scenes grow.

Every time someone discovers my music, they discover Morocco too.

Deeds: You've become one of Morocco's biggest cultural ambassadors. Do you feel that responsibility?

ElGrandeToto: Absolutely. When you're one of the biggest windows into your country, you have to represent it properly. I carry Morocco with me everywhere I go.

Deeds: Looking back five years, what do you think people finally understand about ElGrande Toto?

ElGrandeToto: (Laughs.) First, they finally know I'm the best rapper in Morocco. But seriously… People understand me better now. They understand the way I work. They understand why I collaborate with artists that other people overlook. Sometimes people would ask why I'd work with smaller artists. They didn't understand that those collaborations often create the purest music because there are no politics—just artists making records together.
That's how hip-hop keeps moving forward.

Deeds: Finally, what would you like to say to everyone supporting you around the world?

ElGrandeToto: Thank you. To everyone who's been with me from the beginning, thank you for believing in me. And for everyone who's only just discovering me— I'm ElGrande Toto. I'm from Morocco and I'm here to take Moroccan music to the world. 

What makes ElGrandeToto compelling isn't simply that he's become one of North Africa's biggest rap stars. It's that he has resisted the pressure to become culturally neutral in pursuit of global success. Rather than diluting his identity, he's doubled down on it, treating Moroccan Arabic not as a barrier but as an instrument, and local culture as something expansive enough to travel.

In an era where algorithms often reward familiarity, Toto has proven that authenticity can be its own language. His rise is less a story about crossing borders than about redrawing them, proving that the most powerful global voices often begin by speaking directly to home.

Credits:
Production: @theblitzfilm
Production Manager: @achrafchagroufi
Production Assistant: @ami_ne_lahrach
General Production Coordinator (Unit Manager): @azzeddine_majidi
Production Runner: @abdelhadi_borita
Director of Photography (Cinematographer): @sko_filmmaker
Chief Lighting Technician (Gaffer): @said_atif
Key Grip: @wahid_derban
Production Designer / Head of Set Decoration: @achraffarah
Makeup Artist: @hind_hamdi
Behind-the-Scenes (BTS): @Keustycanos
Stylist: @___rrxii
Management: @anissatv
Interviewer: @styliddie