Small X

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Small X

| birth_name = Abdessamad Lamriq

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|03|01}}

| birth_place = Safi, Morocco

| genre = Hip hop

| years_active = 2004–present

| label = Mass Appeal Records

| past_member_of = Shayfeen

}}

Abdessamad Lamriq (born March 1, 1991), professionally known as Small X, is a Moroccan rapper and songwriter from Safi city. In 2006, alongside Chouaib Ribati, known by his stage name Shobee, co-founded the rap duo Shayfeen,{{Cite web |title=Shayfeen - NAAR |url=https://naar.fr/shayfeen/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=naar.fr |language=fr-FR}} which became a significant force in the Moroccan hip-hop scene.{{Cite web |title=7liwa and Shayfeen are now leading the wave |url=https://rwipa.com/en/events/new-wave/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 22, 2025 |website=Rwipa.com}}{{cite web |title=Shayfeen : le groupe le plus populaire du Maroc |url=https://www.mouv.fr/emissions/mouv-13-actu/shayfeen-le-groupe-le-plus-populaire-du-maroc-347643 |access-date=2021-03-07 |website=Mouv}} Small X later pursued a solo career, beginning in early 2021,{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-07|first=Salma|language=fr|last=Hamdi|title=Small X|url=https://www.lodj.ma/Small-X_a3149.html|website=Portail L'ODJ}} and has since maintained an average of over 150,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.{{Cite web |title=Smallx |url=https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PgPJfNYhFaHAV5C5dFhYS |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Spotify |language=en}}

Career

Shayfeen gained widespread recognition for their impactful music, with several tracks—such as Ntouma Malkoum, Sahbi, Ghayb9aw Jouj, Khchi F Wednek, Wach Kayn Maydar, Tcha Ra, and 7it 3arfinni—each surpassing one million views on YouTube and setting records on streaming platforms like Spotify and Deezer. Their work has left a lasting mark on the Moroccan rap scene.{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-07|language=fr|title=Shayfeen: biographie, dernières news et clips|url=https://www.nrjmaroc.com/artists/artist/shayfeen#:~:text=Fond%C3%A9%20en%202006%20par%20deux,plus%20en%20vogue%20au%20Maroc.|website=nrjmaroc.com}}{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-07|date=2020-04-15|language=fr-FR|title=Shayfeen : l’appétit vient en mangeant... les toplines|url=https://pan-african-music.com/shayfeen-lappetit-vient-en-mangeant-les-toplines/|website=Pan African Music}}{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-28|date=2017-05-12|language=fr-FR|title=Le rap marocain tient-il son nouvel hymne ?|url=https://www.clique.tv/rappeurs-marocains-de-shayfeen-trompent-lennui-nouveau-clip/|website=Clique.tv}}

In 2019, as part of the Naar collective,{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-07|date=2019-10-05|first=La|language=fr-FR|last=rédaction|title=Le rap sans frontières du collectif Naar|url=https://on-media.fr/2019/10/05/le-rap-sans-frontieres-du-collectif-naar/|website=On’}} Small X collaborated with French rapper Dosseh on the track Kssiri..{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-07|language=en|last=Booska-p|title=Dosseh s'allie à Shayfeen pour « Kssiri » [VIDEOCLIP]|url=https://www.booska-p.com/new-dosseh-s-allie-shayfeen-pour-kssiri-videoclip-n102104.html|website=www.booska-p.com}} After Shayfeen's success, Small X embarked on a solo career in early 2021, releasing projects such as XXL and Phoenix,{{cite web |date=2020-12-03 |title=Small X élargit sa vision au format « XXL » |url=https://pan-african-music.com/small-x-xxl/ |access-date=2021-03-07 |website=Pan African Music |language=fr-FR}}{{cite web |date=2020-12-03 |title=SMALL-X en mode XXL ! |url=https://lacage.ma/small-x-en-mode-xxl/ |access-date=2021-03-07 |website=LaCage |language=fr-FR}} followed by a 7-track EP.{{cite web |date=2021-03-02 |title=Phoenix : la renaissance du rappeur Small X |url=https://pan-african-music.com/small-x-phoenix/ |access-date=2021-03-07 |website=Pan African Music}}

In March 2021, he was featured on ElGrandeToto's album Caméléon, contributing to the track Thezz.{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-28|language=fr|title=ElGrande Toto monte le son !|url=https://fnh.ma/article/actualite-culturelle/elgrande-toto-monte-le-son|website=fnh.ma}}{{cite web|access-date=2021-03-28|language=fr|title=El Grande Toto : le rappeur marocain invite Damso, Hamza, Lefa... sur son prochain album|url=https://www.mouv.fr/musique/rap-fr/el-grande-toto-le-rappeur-marocain-invite-damso-hamza-lefa-sur-son-prochain-album-366933|website=Mouv}}

In October 2023, Small X was among the 25 Middle Eastern and North African artists who collaborated on the single Rajieen, released to raise funds in response to the Gaza genocide amid the Gaza war.{{Cite web |last=Mekkaoui |first=Meeran |date=31 October 2023 |title='Rajieen' Unites 25 MENA Artists in a Resounding Ode to Palestine |url=https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/culture/rajieen-artists-unite-for-palestine |access-date=10 June 2024 |website=GQ Middle East |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241208023116/https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/culture/rajieen-artists-unite-for-palestine |archive-date=2024-12-08}}

In April 2025, Small announced that he signed a deal with New York-based record label Mass Appeal, making him as the first rapper from the Middle East and North Africa to join the influential label's roster.{{Cite web |title=On NAFIDA, Moroccan Rapper Small X Rises Above the Noise and Into Underexplored Musical Territory {{!}} OkayAfrica |url=https://www.okayafrica.com/small-x-nafida-saib-mass-appeal/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=www.okayafrica.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Smallx is the First MENA Artist to Sign With Global Label Mass Appeal |url=https://scenenoise.com/News/Smallx-is-the-First-MENA-Artist-to-Sign-With-Global-Label-Mass-Appeal |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=SecneNow}}