Collectif Debo · Artist Profile
Rapper, Lyricist & Performer — Founding Member of DEBO · Erkez HipHop
Biography
VIPA — Kais Kekli is a Tunisian rapper, lyricist and performer, born in Tunis in 1990. A key figure of the Tunisian hip-hop scene and a founding member of the DEBO collective, he has spent more than a decade developing a distinctive voice rooted in Tunisian social reality, street culture and the rebellious spirit of hip-hop.
Coming from the southern suburbs of Tunis, Kais grew up surrounded by rap and began writing his own lyrics at the age of 14. His early work developed within the emerging Tunisian underground scene and gradually established VIPA as an artist known for his sharp writing, distinctive Tunisian dialect, energetic flow and strong stage presence.
VIPA came to wider public attention in 2012 with “Egleb Mandhrek”, a powerful and confrontational track released during the period of the Tunisian Revolution. The song addressed repression, marginalisation and social realities, and its video was notably filmed in central Tunis, including on Avenue Habib Bourguiba. The track became one of the defining pieces of VIPA’s early career and established his reputation as an engaged rapper.
His artistic path developed alongside the growth of DEBO, a Tunisian cultural collective founded around hip-hop and underground artistic expression. VIPA became one of its central artists, working alongside figures including Trappa, Massi, WMD and Empire. In 2016, he was part of El Banda, a major DEBO-led live project bringing together several generations and styles of Tunisian hip-hop. The project combined Boom Bap, Old School, alternative and Trip-Hop influences and toured several Tunisian festivals.
VIPA’s collaboration with Massi is another important part of his artistic history. The two artists, both from the southern suburbs of Tunis, developed a long-running creative partnership, including their work around the Hakuna Matata project and tracks such as “Al 9ine3.” Their contrasting writing styles and strong lyrical exchanges became part of the identity of the DEBO generation.
As a solo artist, VIPA released his album “Adheka Eli Bik” in 2017, with the beats produced by Trappa. The album expanded VIPA’s musical vocabulary while maintaining the directness and social consciousness of his writing. His work has continued to explore the relationship between Tunisian popular culture, contemporary hip-hop and other musical influences.
VIPA is also a central voice of Erkez HipHop, the DEBO project that brings Tunisian rap into dialogue with Mezoued, bendir, darbouka and other traditional musical forms. Alongside Massi and Tiga Black’na, he has helped shape a live sound that places Tunisian popular musical heritage inside a contemporary hip-hop framework. The project has become one of the most distinctive examples of Tunisian rap’s evolution toward live fusion and international performance.
His artistic practice also extends beyond music, with appearances in film, television and multidisciplinary artistic projects, including the DEBO anniversary short film Jubjoter, where he appears alongside Massi and Trappa.
In 2026, VIPA entered a new phase with “ONE BAND ONE SOUND”, a collaborative album developed with composer and producer Jihed Khemiri. The project brings together rap, brass and marching-band influences, organic percussion, rock textures, Afro rhythms and electronic elements. Rather than focusing exclusively on the rapper as an individual, the project places VIPA within a larger collective musical architecture.
More than simply a rapper, VIPA represents a generation of Tunisian artists who transformed hip-hop from an underground language into a vehicle for cultural identity, social commentary and artistic experimentation. His work moves between raw street rap, Tunisian popular music, live performance and multidisciplinary creation, while maintaining a strong connection to the realities and language of contemporary Tunisia.
Today, VIPA continues to develop his solo work while performing with Erkez HipHop and collaborating across music and multidisciplinary artistic projects. His career is defined by a constant search for new forms without abandoning the voice that made him distinctive in the first place: a direct, uncompromising Tunisian rap rooted in lived experience.
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