Resilience fuels creativity

Elsusi (El Susi) is an independent Palestinian rapper, music producer, and filmmaker from Gaza, – Palestine now based in Stavanger, Norway.

After surviving six months under the 2023 genocide in Gaza, he turned survival itself into sound building an entire artistic career under siege before finding refuge through the ICORN City of Refuge program in 2024.

For more than fourteen years, Elsusi has written, recorded, and produced music in impossible conditions often in makeshift studios, using rap and dance-driven beats to speak about pain, resilience, love, and identity.

His sound blends Arabic melodies with modern rap and electronic energy, creating music that moves both the body and the mind.

After arriving in Norway, Elsusi quickly became one of the most active and visible Middle Eastern artists in the Nordic scene.

His upcoming 18-track album Live with Dignity (supported by Kulturdirektoratet) merges English, Norwegian, and Arabic influences through powerful rhythm and emotional storytelling balancing joy and struggle, reflection and movement.

His recent performances include the Oslo Mela Festival (main stage with DARG Team), two collaborations with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra within the projects Arts of Democracy and Songs of Existence WEXFO (World Expression Forum) in Lillehammer, Nobel Peace Center, Aurora Music Forum (Finland), Kapittel Festival, and several events dedicated to freedom of expression and democracy across the Nordic region.

He has been featured by Dagbladet, Dagsavisen, NRK P3 (Tommy Tee Show), Norsk PEN, and Universitas Oslo, among others.

On stage, Elsusi’s performances are energetic, emotional, and deeply human
a fusion of rhythm, passion, and truth that transforms lived experience into movement.

He stands as one of Gaza’s most authentic artistic voices: a self-made icon of resilience who proves that even in the darkest times, music can still make people dance.