Nader
Khalil and BONES deliver
a hazy prelude to chaos in Semiautomad
October 6th, 2025
Clear intentions cut through the mud in this dark and dreamy collaboration
SemiAutoMad marks the second single from Nader’s upcoming album NK3, set to release October 23
LISTEN TO SEMIAUTOMAD (feat. BONES) NOW
WATCH MUSIC VIDEO
Egyptian-Iranian artist Nader Khalil has released “SemiAutoMad” featuring underground American rap legend BONES. As the second single from Nader’s upcoming album Nader Khalil 3 (NK3) that is set to release October 23, the collaboration marks a powerful moment in Nader's evolving sound and exemplifies his commitment to authenticity and innovation.
The single rides a smoky, slow-motion pull, creating an immersive yet lucid haze that feels like drifting through a fog with eyes wide open. Nader’s production strikes a delicate balance between dream-state and intent. His haunting yet laid back vocals serve as a reminder: “See a ghost in the shell, send you all straight to hell,
I ain’t the one to talk it out,
man, it ain’t hard to tell". BONES contributes his signature presence to the track, adding to the song’s sense of shadowy anticipation—like a conversation unfolding in a dimly lit room just before something significant goes down.
The accompanying music video amplifies the atmospheric quality of the song. Nader is seen in a smoke-filled garage, while BONES stands in a frame where fine particles drift thickly through the air—perhaps snow or something even stranger. Both artists are enveloped in a surreal green glow, and their scenes, while separate, mirror each other in tone and tension, reflecting two figures navigating the same ominous headspace.
“SemiAutoMad" serves as a compelling follow-up to the first single, "Blue Sky" (that featured his former project Nok from the Future), and continues to build anticipation for NK3, which is set to release on October 23. His first two albums Nader Khalil 1 and Nader Khalil 2 (2022) are available on the main streaming platforms and include some of his most popular songs: War & Peace, Can’t Decide, Wahda Wahda, Dark Mawwal and Wild Trance. His debut singles Crud (2019) and 98 (2021) have more than 1 million plays on Spotify.
NK3: Expanding the soundscape of resistance
Nader Khalil 3 (NK3) marks the artist’s most expansive and refined work to date: a trilingual album adding new dimension to his sound and vision. Unlike his previous EPs, NK3 is not a solo effort; it features underground American rap legend BONES, Syrian vocalist Samah Abdulhamid, French artist Ta-Ra, Moroccan rapper LMehdi, Ethiopian-American artist Robel Ketema, and even a reunion with his earlier identity, Nok From the Future.
Guided by a musical Occam’s Razor, NK3 embraces lyrics that are sparse yet essential, allowing the music itself to carry the weight of its message. Nader trusts sound—custom Arabic wedding keyboard synths, Arabic scales, stripped-down percussion—to communicate what language often complicates, balancing tension with restraint. The album revisits his hallmark raw vocal delivery and political undercurrents with a newfound refinement and intention, marking his growth as both a producer and artist.
In this project, the mixing is integral to Nader’s artistic vision, holding equal importance to the production and vocals. Nader meticulously sculpts every syllable of the vocals and every flicker of the synth notes to evoke a precise auditory response in the listener.
If NK1 and NK2 were about defining the edges of his sound, NK3 is about refining the core. It strips everything back to instinct, intention, and impact, confirming what many already know: that he is one of the most singular and unflinching voices in underground music today. NK3 reflects the different moments along the path of resistance—not just protest, but the quiet, interior moments that make it possible: endurance, doubt, stubbornness, patience.
Nader Khalil
Nader Khalil is an Egyptian-Iranian artist whose sound is a tightly constructed blend of custom-built Arabic synths and haunting, husky vocals. He is a fully self-reliant artist: he records his own vocals, produces every track himself, and handles the mixing and mastering in-house. Hypnotic, propulsive, and unflinchingly direct, his music reflects an uncompromising voice shaped by life across the U.S., the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.
At the heart of his music is a commitment to the straight path: an unwavering pursuit of authenticity, even when it demands resistance. His music doesn’t posture or conceal; it speaks plainly with precision, potency, and purpose. In an era of branding and irony, Nader stands apart, letting the truth cut clean through the noise.
His career began under the alias Nok from the Future, a SoundCloud-era project between 2013 and 2017 that has amassed more than 50 million streams. Nok’s collaborators have included artists such as Dylan Brady (100 Gecs), Kevin Abstract (Brockhampton), Cousin Stizz, and Night Lovell. Though that chapter ended without formal closure, its community still lives on—20k monthly listeners on Spotify and a digital footprint that refuses to fade. In 2019, Nader re-emerged under his own name, claiming full authorship over his identity with a sound that was sharper, harder, and more urgent.
His 2022 debut EP, Nader Khalil 1, introduced a focused chaos: six explosive tracks built on rage-infused beats and untamed vocals. With Nader Khalil 2, he delivered a deeper, more expansive seven-track project that moved with intention and precision. Tracks like “War & Peace,” “Wahda Wahda,” “Dark Mawwal,” and “No Reason” challenged narratives that had long excluded Middle Eastern voices from Western music spaces.
Nader’s visual world mirrors his sound: raw and self-contained. Shot, directed, and edited entirely in-house (usually on an iPhone), his videos capture moments as they are, stripped of pretense or staging.
His live performances are equally potent: dance floors move between dabke circles and mosh pits, driven by a presence that feels both grounded and electrified. Audiences unfamiliar with his music often leave his sets as fans who are won over by the force and honesty of what they have just witnessed.
With Nader Khalil 3, he returns with his most personal and uncompromising work to date.
Press for Nader Khalil.