The Best North African Songs Right Now

In September, artists returned from their summer holidays and got back on their grind. North Africa saw a wave of new releases, but, call me biased, no country could keep up with Sudan. Both in the region and across the diaspora, Sudanese artists proved that the contemporary music scene remains as diverse as the one young people are nostalgic for from decades ago. 

Sudanese music has inspired the sound of other Arab and African cultures for decades, but it hasn't always gotten the recognition it deserves. In a recent interview with Mohamed Mounir’s relatives, they told OkayAfrica that the legendary Egyptian star was strongly inspired by Sudanese musicians like Mohammed Wardi. In that spirit, this month’s Best North African Song list celebrates Sudan’s contribution to the region’s music scene. 

MaMan, Ahmed Basyoni - “AHDI” (Sudan, Egypt) 

Sudanese artist MaMan teams up with Egyptian singer and actor Basyoni, continuing a streak of Egyptian-Sudanese collaborations in the past few months. “AHDI” is a groovy meeting of a live big band and afropop, a retro mix of syncopated rhythms and saxophone solos. The track beautifully shows how similar, yet distinct, the two Arabic dialects are as the singers perform one verse each in their respective playful signature styles. 

Ino Casablanca - “PA' TOUCH | A COLORS SHOW” (Morocco, France)

Born in Spain to Moroccan parents and raised in France, Ino Casablanca’s music blends rap, acoustic textures, and electronic elements. With “PA’TOUCH,” the singer, songwriter, and composer brings his blend of Maghrebi, Latin, and Caribbean rhythms to the COLORS stage, this time tapping into merengue rhythms to explore self-worth, emotional distance, and independence. 

Exp., Rhita Nattah, Gaidaa, Ohana Bam, Salah Fattah - “L’GANA” (Morocco, Sudan, Netherlands, US)

Amsterdam-based record label Exp. Share Records runs the artistic project EXP, which invites a group of artists from around the world to travel to an inspiring location, a different country each year, and create an album and documentary in just one week. This year marked the first edition on the African continent, in Morocco's desert. “L'GANA” is the first single and title track from the upcoming album, blending hip-hop, gnawa, and R&B, featuring Moroccan artists Rhita Nattah and Salah Fafah, Sudanese Dutch singer Gaidaa, and American rapper Ohana Bam. Nattah’s touch - her signature meditative-like chorus, use of electric guitar, and syncopated rhythms - is immediately recognizable, as is Gaidaa’s soulful vocal delivery. 

Sulaf - “Sameen” (Sudan)

Opening for Tinariwen across Europe this year, Sudanese singer, oud player, and composer Sulaf has been rolling out her upcoming album ABA, drawing on Sudan’s musical heritage from Nubian-rooted rhythms to devotional and folk traditions. “Sameen,” the album’s third released single, is an electric track of Sudanese instrumentation and Sulaf’s heartfelt voice. It is dedicated to her great-grandfather Abdelazim Sayed Ahmed (Aba), a Sufi poet whose verses appear on the album. 

5mstashr, Hady Moamer - “Zy Mana” (Egypt)

Grammy-nominated Egyptian producer Hady Moamer collaborates with Italy-based Egyptian producer 5mstashr for “Zy Mana,” a low-key track that builds a repetitive, but well-executed soundscape of piano chords, trap snares, synths and samples that dip in and out of the track, never losing momentum as Moamer effortlessly raps and sings over the music. 

Soulja, Khayyat - “Dawama” (Sudan, Palestine)

Sudanese rapper Soulja released 0 Views, a four-track EP that journeys through the emotional landscape between isolation and socializing. “Dawama,” produced by Palestinian producer Khayyat, is the EP’s second song, moving from introspection to Soulja’s coping mechanism: sarcasm (he doesn’t have money for a therapist, so he uses this song to vent to his barber). Over a laid-back beat and a nostalgic Sudanese electric guitar, Soulja raps about the difficulties his generation faces. 

777YM, Abidat Rma - “Zidou” (Morocco)

“Zidou” is a wild mix of Moroccan chaabi and amapiano, bringing together Gen Z rapper 777YM and Abidat Rma, an iconic group rooted in Moroccan musical heritage. While 777YM has sampled Moroccan culture since the beginning of his career, “Zidou” elevates his music from taking inspiration to creating a modern version of Moroccan music where Gen Z sensibilities meet tradition. Fun fact: Abidat Rma performed at the rapper’s parents' wedding. 

Hleem Taj Alser, Essam Satti, Ali Naseraldeen - “Sada Lon Khamri” (Sudan, Libya)

Sudanese rap veteran Essam Satti and his longtime collaborator Ali Naseraldeen team up with Hleem Taj Alser, one of Sudan’s leading young voices. “Sada Lon Khamri” is firmly rooted in Satti and Naseraldeen’s signature mix of traditional instrumentation and rhythms with their distinctive vocal roles, but Alser brings a new Afro-inspired touch to their tried-and-tested formula. 

Kawtar - “B&N” (Morocco)

20-year-old Moroccan artist Kawtar is creating hyper-Gen Z/Pink Pantheress-coded music in Darija, and it’s working. On her latest, “B&N,” ethereal synths meet high-energy production for a danceable track that belies the song’s serious topic: toxic relationships. With her take on hyper-pop, blending international UK garage grooves with Darija lyricism, Kawtar has emerged as a unique voice in the Moroccan music landscape.

Safa - “run-on sentence (interlude)” (Sudan, US)

NYC-based Sudanese American singer-songwriter Safa came to people’s attention when she appeared on Sudanese folk singer Mustafa’s Tiny Desk concert last year. She released her sophomore album target practice, a vulnerable and personal ten-track RnB project. “run-on sentence (interlude)” sees her take a break from layered RnB vocals and step into a sharper flow of bravado and wittiness. 

Nadine El Roubi - “Hibiscus” (Sudan)

Sudan-born, NYC-based singer Nadine El Roubi started rolling out her debut album Life Is Beautiful Again with “Hibiscus,” a neo-soul reflection on life in the diaspora, where third-culture kids yearn for a home they have never really known. Over piano chords, hip-hop drums, and dreamy synths, El Roubi sings a melancholic, vulnerable vocal line that invokes the hibiscus flower she associates with Sudan.