"Donde Están" is Morad asking one blunt question over and over: where did everybody go? The chorus keeps hammering it, "¿Dónde están los que dicen que estarían cuando no hay nada?" (Where are the ones who said they'd be there when there's nothing?). These are the people who swore they'd "tirar puño y bala" for him (throw punches and bullets, meaning fight for him no matter what), and now he looks around and "no veo nada" (I don't see anything).
The verses are colder and more personal. He grew up with nothing, he says he used to listen to Tego Calderón, the Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneer, "en el talego" (in jail, talego is Spanish street slang for prison), and he admits his ego is a problem: "muero por mi ego" (I'm dying for my ego). My favourite line is the dry math of it all: "Tengo menos amigos y más dinero" (I have fewer friends and more money). He forgives but doesn't forget, and he warns that help can be "un anzuelo" (a fishing hook), someone lifting you up only so the fall hurts more.
Watch for Morad's street Spanish: he drops final letters, so puño' and bala' are puños and balas, and pa' is para.
Morad El Khattouti El Horami, known simply as Morad, is a Moroccan-Spanish rapper and singer from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, born in 1999. Rising from the streets of La Florida neighborhood, he began his music career at age 14 and quickly gained prominence with his raw and honest lyrics focused on street life and personal struggle.
Morad's music primarily blends hip-hop, drill, and afrobeats, popularizing the abbreviation "M.D.L.R" (Mec de la Rue) in Spain. He shot to national fame with hits like "Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 47" and "Pelele," topping Spanish charts. His albums, including "M.D.L.R" (2019) and the critically acclaimed "Reinsertado" (2023), showcase his authentic voice as the most streamed emerging drill artist in Spain. Known for his iconic tracksuits and vibrant street style, Morad continues to break barriers and connect communities through his music.