Tunisian rapper Ahmed Laabidi, better known by his stage name Kafon, died on Saturday May 10, 2025, at the age of 43, following a long illness. Emblematic figure of rap engaged in Tunisia, he leaves behind a sincere, raw and deeply rooted work in the social realities of the country.
Kafon won in 2013 as a revelation with Houmani, a song co-interpreted with Mohamed Amine Hamzaoui. The song, a glaring of truth, described lifeless life in the Tunisian working -class neighborhoods.
Quickly viral, it became the anthem of a marginalized youth in search of dignity and recognition. The clip of Houmani, viewed tens of millions of times, remains today one of the most powerful testimonies of the post-revolution.
Over the years, Kafon asserted itself as a separate voice, refusing the artifices to stick to an authentic word. Its serious flow, its simple and without detour texts, wore the pain, the frustrations but also the hopes of an entire generation. Among his flagship titles: Maâlich, El Ayem, Mahboula or Nheb Ngalla3, so many pieces become cult.
His career was however marked by a major personal test: suffering from Buerger’s disease, a rare arteries affection, Kafon had undergone the amputation of his two legs in 2017 and 2018. Far from yielding to resignation, he had continued his career with admirable resilience, continuing to produce and go on stage, carried by a faithful and admiring audience.
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