GOAT Talk MENA | ElGrandeToto & Don Bigg Debate The Best & Worst Things Ever

On this episode of GOAT Talk MENA, ElGrandeToto and Don Bigg step into something that feels bigger than a debate. It’s a generational link-up, a back-and-forth that plays like a relay race mid-handoff, where legacy meets momentum, memory and possibilities.

It opens with ElGrandeToto putting it plainly: Bigg is his biggest hip-hop inspiration. From there, the tone shifts. What could’ve been a standard GOAT ranking turns into something deeper, where we see a dynamic shaped by years of inspiration and collaboration play out through respect, shared experiences, and humour. 

They run through everything. Inspirations, GOAT superheroes, Moroccan films, even their own lyrics. But there’s a lot more below the surface. You start to see the lineage of Moroccan hip-hop take shape, how one generation builds the ground the next one runs on, and what it actually means to grow a scene, not just exist in it.

On the brink of SALGOAT II, ElGrandeToto steps into a new stretch of a run that’s already left its mark on North African rap. Two albums, a string of EPs, and a catalogue that feels instinctual and intention, all of it pulled from the texture of Casablanca. From his first major release, ‘7elmet Ado’ albums like Caméléon, 27, and SALGOAT, he’s been writing the sound of a generation track after track, carrying Moroccan rap past its borders without losing its core. In 2024, that run was sealed with three wins at the first Billboard Arabia Awards, including Best Hip-Hop Artist and Best Hip-Hop Song for ‘Blue Love.’

Next to him is Don Bigg, not just a peer but a reference point. A voice that arrived earlier and stayed sharp, cutting through corruption, inequality, and the everyday weight of things with clarity and control. His career stretches across eras, with early hits like ‘Mabghitch’ to ground-breaking come back anthems like ‘170 kg’, and collaborations (like ‘DDD’ with ElGrandeToto) that continue to ignite the scene he helped build. In recent years, he’s extended his reach into acting and mentorship, most recently as head judge on JamShow, helping set the tone for the next wave.

This episode is as heart-warming as it is hilarious.